The Foundation of the Future: Investing in the Afghan Child
(Message on International Children’s Day)
Keypoints:
- Child Well-Being: Prioritize health, nutrition, education, and happiness for all children.
- Protection from Harm: End child labor, underage marriage, terrorism, and mine-related risks.
- Access to Education: Ensure all children, especially girls, can attend school safely.
- Emotional and Social Needs: Support children’s emotional, artistic, and recreational development.
- Safe Learning Environment: Prohibit humiliation, physical punishment, and threats in schools.
- Government Responsibility: Support children with disabilities and enforce legal protections.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
It is a source of great pleasure for me to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the children and all my compatriots on the occasion of International Children’s Day. This day serves as a vital opportunity to turn our focused attention toward the challenges facing our children and to seek meaningful pathways for their growth, prosperity, and joy.
Scientific evidence has proven that the foundation of human personality is formed during childhood. This implies that the future well-being of our society is inextricably linked to how we nurture, educate, and treat our children today.
Prioritizing a child's health, nutrition, upbringing, education, and happiness is of fundamental importance for the ultimate success and prosperity of our nation. In our country, a significant number of children are tragically deprived of the gift of life every year due to malnutrition and preventable diseases; this situation is absolutely unacceptable. Furthermore, forced child labor and underage marriages remain major crises in our society—vices to which we must put a definitive end.
Fortunately, millions of Afghan children are now attending school. Yet, a substantial number—particularly girls—remain deprived of the right to education. Even today, we receive reports of the enemies of our nation setting schools ablaze. Similarly, the presence of roadside mines and other inhumane acts continue to claim the lives of countless children annually. This, too, is intolerable.
However, it is not only terrorism and poverty that threaten our children. Improper conduct within many families remains a profound challenge to the healthy development of our youth. A child has emotional needs; they seek to feel secure and cherished. A child desires happiness and harbors a mind full of questions that demand answers. They possess artistic and recreational needs that must be met. Our media, imams, and intellectuals must inform families of the hazardous consequences of violence against children. As I stated in my address at the start of the academic year: no child must be subjected to beatings, threats, or humiliation.
On this International Children’s Day, I take this opportunity to once again call upon all teachers: under no circumstances should humiliation, physical punishment, threats, or insults be permitted in our schools. Furthermore, specialized attention is required for children with disabilities. It is the duty of the Government to establish specialized schools for those children whose disabilities make it difficult for them to attend standard public institutions. The Government remains firmly committed to improving the condition of our children in the light of Afghanistan’s laws and international conventions.
In conclusion, I once again congratulate our beloved children, their parents, and all my fellow citizens. I call upon government agencies, civil society organizations, religious scholars, and families to dedicate greater attention to the lives and futures of our children.