6. Afghanistan
Literacy rate: 38.20%
The coming of the Taliban saw the destruction of a country that held much promise. The systematic slaughtering of people continued until the regime was overthrown in 2003. However, the remnants of the brutality can still be seen today. The Taliban banned women leaving their homes without a ‘Mahram’ or a person with whom sexual intercourse would be considered illegal (mainly a male from the immediate family). Women who disobeyed this rule were often severely beaten in public, which is why women often didn’t go to school, a trend which has continued even now. Therefore, the women in this country are mostly illiterate.
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