A thousand and some days have passed since the onset of deprivation and restriction, oppression, darkness, and suffocation in a prison as vast as Afghanistan. Imagining what girls and women have endured during these days is stifling, and writing about it is painful and heartbreaking. In these thousand days, millions of women have become victims of a situation they had no part in creating. Millions of futures have been obliterated, and the dreams and lives of millions have been shattered. Before the Taliban’s takeover, what were girls’ perceptions of their current lives, and how would they have seen their present and future if the Taliban were not in power? How would women’s lives have unfolded if these thousand days had not passed this way? Where did the girls stand in life, and what peaks of success had they conquered? Or rather, what were their desires? What did they want to wear, and write, and how did they want to socialize? These are questions that some girls from various parts of Afghanistan have answered below.
Susan, like hundreds of thousands of other citizens of Afghanistan who fled the country after the Taliban’s takeover, says, “With all the miseries we already had, if the Taliban were not in power, at least we would have had our homeland. We wouldn’t have become stateless like we are today.” Raihan Hussain, a sociology graduate from Kabul University, who was forced to leave her country after the Taliban’s takeover, says, “If the Taliban weren’t there, I would naturally be in Kabul and in a position I always wanted to be in. My entire focus would have been on learning languages and skills, and I would be exercising. I would have my job and wear stylish clothes like kurta-shalwar.” She completed her final days of university in the first year of the Taliban’s rule with countless problems and hardships. She was forced to wear clothing she didn’t like just to attend university. After graduating, neither Kabul remained a place for her to stay, nor could she bear staying in Kabul any longer.
Hangama is also one of the girls who, out of fear of the Taliban and their torture, is forced to dress as the Taliban dictate. She says, “If the Taliban weren’t around, I would be myself and wouldn’t change my identity. I would be the same happy girl with loose hair and a free scarf. I wouldn’t have a thousand fears in my heart just to leave the house, and I wouldn’t be forced to wear the dark black cloak that I don’t like.”
Hangama’s friend also speaks about her life today without the Taliban: “If the Taliban weren’t around, I would be in my seventh semester at university, wearing diverse and colorful clothes, mostly kurta-shalwar which I always love to wear.” She adds, “I would have a job, and I would love to go see the beautiful places of our homeland with my friends.” A right that has been taken away from her and her peers today.
Aaso (pseudonym), who faces an uncertain fate, expresses with profound sadness and grief, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, I would have security, happiness, and contentment. I would breathe freely like a human being and live a liberated life.”
Aaso’s friend adds, “If the Taliban weren’t around, I would be in my final semester at university. I would wear colorful clothes and always use the perfume that I love.”
Sana, a girl who is deprived of school, says, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, I would have completed school by now and made my way to university. I always wanted to learn to play guitar professionally after school, and by now, surely I would have made progress in that, but nothing has changed in these years.”
Sima (pseudonym), known among her friends as “Dr. Jan,” and would have completed university by now if not for the Taliban, says, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, by now I would have celebrated my graduation. I would have been joyful to fulfill my childhood dreams that I had achieved. This year, I would have been executing internship tasks and stepping closer to my goals.”
Khatira, who is now confined at home and unemployed, remarks, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, I would be in my dear Kunduz and would be working in the financial sector at the Kunduz Airfield’s hospital wearing military attire.”
Nargis, who like Khatira, is unemployed and confined at home due to the Taliban’s control, states, “If there were no Taliban, I would be working in the finance and administration department of the Ministry of Urban Development, where all my paperwork has been completed, but with the advent of Taliban, all went in vain.”
Safa, like Khatira and Nargis, lost her job with the arrival of the Taliban and left the country to preserve her life. She says, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, I would proudly be working as a legal advisor in the Ministry of Justice. Now, even though I am safe, my heart beats for Afghanistan and my mother, and I am weary of life in exile and migration.”
Setayesh is one of those women known among her friends for her hard work. Despite unfavorable conditions, she endeavored to attend university, find work, and engage in social activities. Up until the Taliban takeover, she was the only female education officer in one of Kabul’s educational districts. Today, she reflects, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, I would have achieved what I had in mind. I was the education officer in one of Kabul’s educational districts, and I had plans to advance to the position of provincial education director within two years.” However, the Taliban not only seized her opportunity to reach the role of provincial education director but also stripped her of the responsibilities she had previously held.
Mahmooda, three years ago, harbored a dream of establishing a library. She explains, “After finishing university, I aimed to establish a library and focus on my master’s program, a goal that never materialized. I wanted to help my generation through the library and contribute to spreading knowledge. But all my aspirations were dashed.”
Fatima has always wished to have her own brand since childhood, which she planned to pursue after university. Fatima says, “I’ve always wanted to create a brand. I wanted to start with clothing designs and gradually build my skills. I also planned to open a restaurant alongside it to earn a living, a dream that is now impossible.”
Frozan is a woman with years of experience working in the media. She says, “If it weren’t for the Taliban, I would have been collaborating with the largest international media outlets by now. This would not only have ensured my success in my career but also supported my family.”
Mehrna is a graduate in journalism. She expresses her passion for working with visual media, saying, “My lifelong dream has been to work with visual media. Unfortunately, my dreams have remained unfulfilled due to the Taliban’s takeover.”
When I ask Manizha how she would envision her life today if it weren’t for the Taliban, she replies briefly, “I don’t want to say anything; I feel suffocated!” These are the silent screams. Thousands of women have been deprived of their basic human right to live over these thousand days, and this trend continues. Three years is not a short time. During these three years, all women and girls have been unable to live their lives as they should and as they desired. Girls who used to go to school can no longer attend. Those who were attending university have had the doors shut on them. Those who had jobs have had their right to work taken away. All women have been confined to their homes and imprisoned. With each passing day, with each female birth, the number of housebound prisoners in Afghanistan increases. The continuation of this trend is catastrophic for women and ultimately for the future of a country named Afghanistan.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
هزار روز ممنوعیت و خشونت؛ اگر طالبان تسلط نیافته بودند… | روزنامه ۸صبح