On a hot summer day, August 15, 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul and forever changed the lives of millions. Shallah, a 16-year-old girl, was watching the news at home when she heard about the fall of Afghanistan and ran to the garden in tears to tell her mother this bitter reality. Her younger sister, Fatima, was 11 at the time and was staying at her cousin's house. She says that at that moment she did not understand what this takeover meant and who the Taliban were. Their older sister, Mahin, who was 22 years old, was well aware of the consequences of this event and recalls that her hands trembled while reading the news on her mobile phone at work.
A Time Full of Restrictions
In recent years, many Afghan women and girls, especially from Iran and Pakistan, have been returned to Afghanistan and now face severe restrictions. Life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule has become extremely difficult, and many women have been deprived of their basic rights. These three sisters are now forced to think about living in conditions where not only education but also their daily activities are limited.
Shallah, Fatima, and Mahin represent hundreds of thousands of Afghan women and girls who are living in these conditions. They know very well that by returning to Afghanistan, they have not only lost their education but also many other opportunities. Mahin says, 'One day the Taliban will need to educate women, but for now, they just want to take us back.'
An Uncertain Future
These sisters are worried not only for their own fate but for the future of other Afghan girls. They know that under the current circumstances, there is no bright future for Afghan girls, and they must live every day with this bitter reality. Fatima, reminiscing about her happy school days, says, 'We just want to have the right to education and be able to achieve our dreams.'
This story is just one of dozens of stories of Afghan girls who have been severely oppressed and restricted under the shadow of the Taliban. Will the day come when the Taliban understands the true need for women's education?
