Testimonies from women on the ground in Afghanistan

Fatima

Fatima, a housewife, who is about forty years old, lost her education due to the jihadist civil wars in the mid-90s. A few years ago, she decided to resume her education and enroll in accelerated learning centers for women. She is one of the few Afghan women who despite having five children, became interested in sports due to her passion for sports and joined a gym near her home.

But with the advent of Taliban, she has returned to the nightmare of her dark days of childhood and can no longer go to school or fitness gym.

 

 

Lailuma

Lailuma was an employee of the Ministry of Public Works and is in her fifth decade of life. Lailuma ‘s husband was abducted and disappeared during the jihadist civil war. As a widow and alone, with great difficulty, she took care of and raised her two children (a daughter and a son). Lailuma also lost her only son in a Taliban suicide attack about two years ago.

Lailuma, with severe pain and agony, fears that she will lose her daughter due to poverty and hunger since her rustication from the governmental job.

 

Nargis

Nargis is an 18-year-old student of the Afghan National Institute of Music in the field of violin, who was about to graduate in a year. Belonging to a poor family who had a difficult childhood, Nargis was committed to continuing her musical education, which she said was a relief to her pain.

A few days after the fall of Kabul, Taliban banned music and the music institute building became their military base. All musical instruments are reported to have been broken.

Nargis has performed frequently in concerts and patriotic songs, and her videos have been widely broadcasted. She now lives day and night in fear and anxiety, with an uncertain future, and suffers from serious physical problems and psychological stress.

 

Nooria

Nooria, a doctor in her fifties, worked in one of the largest public hospitals and is also a women’s rights activist. She has served women in various hospitals for many years with perseverance and passion to her profession. With the advent of Taliban, today she goes to work with fear and stress and stated that seeing Taliban in the city has baffled her thoughts and feels a heavy weight on her chest. Nooria is worried that in addition to her profession, she will no longer be allowed to work as a female activist.

 

 

Ruqaya

Ruqaya Sadiqi is a 28-year-old journalist who before the arrival of Taliban, was the editor-in-chief of a publication in Kabul and also worked for a women’s development program. She was hardworking and talented and decided to swiftly move up the ladder of progress and growth to serve other women.

Ruqaya is no longer able to return to her work and profession and make her dreams come true.

 

 

Zahra

Zahra is a first-year medical student at a private university. Having lived in Iran for many years, she recently returned to Afghanistan and was determined to continue her education in the field of her choice. This was not possible for Zahra because she was an asylum-seeker in Iran, but in her homeland, she did not imagine it was out of reach.

With the arrival of Taliban, all Zahra’s dreams have been shattered to nothing.