The effect of the Taliban, and extremism is being heavily felt in the …..region of Pakistan, and concern for girls is gowning. It is clear that the 'talibanisation’ of all the children is in effect, school attendence rates are low for both boys and girls, however girls are substantially lower than that of their male counterparts. The reach of the Taliban on girls in Pakistan is growing as threats to schools, womens NGO's have continued to increase in the past few years.
The biggest target appears to be girls’ schools have been a particular target, as numerous bombings have occurred, and contestant threats are coming in about school uniforms. More and more girls, even the youngest, are now seen in full Burqa's. The threats are not just forcing girls to cover-up, but decreasing attendence and closing schools. As fears of bombings increased, many schools where closed temporarily, after they received letters warning teachers and pupils to wear ‘burqas’.
“We received a threatening letter, and asked the students and their parents to cooperate and wear the ‘burqa’ for the safety of the 800 pupils at the school,” Aftab Bibi, the vice-principal of the school, told IRIN. The unsigned letter, which the school authorities said had been handed over to police, warned the school could face “serious consequences” if the ‘burqa’ was not made “compulsory” for pupils ( Extremists target schoolgirls in north).
The failure of the the regional government to act has caused considerable concern, and it has become apparent that those who have stood in protest of 'talibanisation’ and stood for girls rights are quickly loosing their foothold. With little backing and protection, parents and teachers are left to live in fear.
In the Swat region Schoolteacher Ibrahim, stated that “law and order was deteriorating with each passing day…women already lagged behind in education and the terrorists' activities would adversely affect the future of the children and the area”(Attendance at Swat girls' schools plummets after bombing, threats).
Here is a list of some of the recorded bombings this year on schools:
December 8: A girls' school was damaged in a bomb blast in Ahmed Shah village near the provincial capital Peshawar. Teachers and students of the Government Girls Middle School had received several warning letters asking them to start wearing the veil.
November 26: A bomb exploded in the Government Girls Primary School in the village of Sher Bahadur near the provincial capital Peshawar, destroying the main gate, windows, doors and boundary wall of the school. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported.
November 20: A locally-manufactured bomb exploded near the gate of a girls' high school in Shawa Tehsil Adenzai. The bomb exploded about half an hour before the school was to open. No casualty was reported.
November 14: A bomb planted near a girls' primary school in Adina, some 18km west of Swabi, exploded, damaging its boundary wall and windows.
September 29: Buildings of two girls' schools in the Kabal area of Swat district were damaged by a bomb blast. Militants, who have been targeting women's educational institutions for a couple of weeks, had planted an explosive device in the Government Girls' High School, near the Kabal police station, which exploded, damaging part of the building and the wall of the adjacent Government Girls' Primary School.
June 5: A bomb was lobbed into a private school in the Hayatabad locality of Peshawar. However no loss of life or property was reported
Organizations working in the area:
Swat Kohistan Education Program (SKEP)
Pakistan Village Development Program (PVDP)
