Education. The foundation of what we could potentially achieve further in our lives. The system that teaches us the difference between right and wrong and the system that allows us to become the young adults we all strive to be. Education is taken for granted throughout the world and is considered a right of passage to be protected throughout childhood. However, this privilege is highly neglected for women in Afghanistan, leaving 2/3 of Afghan girls without adequate education to realize their dreams of what they want to do in the future. Afghanistan is located in Middle Eastern Asia, and the country is completely landlocked. The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul and is located in the north-eastern part of the country. Afghanistan is surrounded by the countries Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Kabul is located 476 km north-west of Islamabad (capital of Pakistan), 2020 km south-east of Tehran (capital of Iran), 1500 km south-east of Ashgabat (capital of Turkmenistan), 580 km south of Dushanbe (capital of Tajikistan) and 1150 km south of Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan). Afghanistan is an extremely mountainous country, with most of its population living at least 2,000 feet above sea level. Afghanistan is plagued by war, with most of the population trying to flee the country for their own safety. However, families and innocent people forced to stay in Afghanistan due to financial problems have to fight for their rights, generally leaving most girls without education. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to Human Rights Watch (2017) “2,975,000 girls are out of school every year, leaving only 37% of adolescent women “literate in Afghanistan”. This statistic is extremely scary when compared to that of Australia. Every year in Australia approximately 3,800,000 girls go to school, for a total population of 24 million people. Afghanistan, by contrast, has a population of 36 million people, with only 525,000 women attending school each year. This is a devastating difference. Since 1996, girls' education rates have declined significantly. Between 1996 and 2001, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. When the Taliban arrived in the country, so did the wave of rules. Girls were not even allowed to leave the house without the accompaniment of a closely related male, let alone allowed to attend any type of school. This included teaching, leaving older women without income. Yet, since the US military ousted the Taliban from the country 17 years ago, 2/3 of girls are still not in school. Adopting habitats from other cultures and countries, parents of Afghan girls will marry their daughters very young, just to gain a higher reputation in the social hierarchy and to earn more money in their family. Girls between the ages of 5 and 14 work instead of going to school to help support their family, although it is highly illegal to work before the age of 15 in Afghanistan. The Taliban are still prevalent in some locations in Afghanistan, which means their rules on detaining women still apply. Despite all this, the main reason why girls do not have adequate educational opportunities is the lack of schools due to the war in the country. country, meaning girls have to travel long distances just to have a chance to create their future. This is a statement from 17-year-old Zarifa (2017), who attended a school in Kabul: “There were too many.