The account of sexual abuse of boys in Afghan schools is extremely appalling. An article published by the UK’s Guardian newspaper last week said that over 500 boys, primarily from poor families, only from six schools in Logar province had been molested by a pedophile ring consists of headmasters, teachers, older students, local officials and even extended family members. Some of the victims, according to the report, have been killed by their family members after videos of their abuse had been posted on social media.
The education process in Afghanistan is already beset by enormous challenges, with millions of Afghan children still out of school due to various problems, while those going to school are equally faced with many challenges, including lack of school facilities and professional teachers. The sexual harassment of children is yet another issue that can deprive plenty of Afghan children of education as their basic human right.
All allegations and cases of sexual molestation of schoolchildren have to be thoroughly investigated, as they give certain circles who oppose Afghans being equipped with quality education the pretext to spread negative propaganda against schooling. Thus, since sexual harassment is viewed culturally, socially and religiously as an abhorrent phenomenon in Afghan society, allegations of its prevalence in schools can prompt many Afghan parents to stop their children going to schools. Coming from a deeply conservative society, it will not be easy for Afghans, especially in rural areas, to send their children to schools in a situation when their lives threatened by the bloody conflict on the one hand and are shocked by allegations of sexual assaults in schools on the other hand.
The government should not trivialize the perils of sexual molestation in schools. The government leadership, particularly the Ministry of Education, must rigorously probe the claims and bring all those involved in this nefarious practice to justice, thereby not only protecting the educational environment from such immorality but also assuring families to send their children to schools.