Many families have been forced to migrate due to restrictions and growing despair in Afghanistan. Some of these families have sought refuge in neighboring and regional countries so their daughters can continue their education, while others have sent their daughters abroad for schooling and have borne high financial costs. This report includes interviews with several of these families and girls. They stressed that they no longer have hope for an educational future or stability in Afghanistan, and that the exclusion of more than half of society from all aspects of life has made staying in the country unbearable. These girls emphasize that the future of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule is bleak, and that they cannot achieve their aspirations or enjoy their civil and collective rights and freedoms as free human beings. They say that despite the hardships they have endured in migration, they preferred to fight more actively for their rights rather than remain confined to their homes and deprived of basic human rights. The findings of the report show that thousands of dollars are sent each month from Afghanistan abroad for educational purposes. Previously, UNAMA had also announced that more than 500 businesspeople send between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars every month to other countries so their daughters can continue their education.
Some families say they were forced to migrate due to educational and academic restrictions imposed by the Taliban. They stress that they have spent thousands of dollars so their daughters can continue their studies in neighboring and regional countries. At the same time, some of these families say they have sent their daughters alone outside Afghanistan to pursue education.
Beheshta Waziri, a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism at Kabul University, decided to migrate due to numerous educational and professional restrictions and challenges. She says leaving Afghanistan was a very difficult decision, as she had several opportunities to migrate before Taliban rule but chose to stay. However, after the Taliban took power and imposed widespread restrictions on girls and women, she had no option left and was forced to leave the country with her family.
Waziri adds: “Not only I, but my sisters who were students also saw no bright future for themselves. In the end, we decided to leave the country and go to Russia. When I look back, my heart aches for the days when I studied with all my strength to succeed at Kabul University in my field of interest, journalism. Unfortunately, I have not worked in this field even for a single day.”
Speaking about the challenges she faced in migration, this young woman says: “Language was the first barrier. When you enter a new environment, you are like a child who knows nothing and has to relearn everything from the beginning. In Russia, every word and every sentence felt like a mountain I had to climb. Alongside the language, cultural differences were also a major challenge, from the way people dress to their customs and behavior. Everything was new and sometimes confusing. I have to learn the language, understand a new culture, and rebuild myself. Sometimes I get tired, but I remind myself that I had no other choice and that this path is my only hope for a brighter future.”
Zakia Ebadi is another young woman who, unlike Beheshta, was forced to take the path of migration alone. She says that after the Taliban took power, life in Afghanistan became extremely difficult for her, as continuing education and work were no longer possible. She applied for asylum in several European countries, and eventually, France accepted her application. She adds that to reach France, she had to pass through Iran, where she faced many problems and harassment. This woman states: “During the journey through Iran, I experienced many nightmares. Sometimes they objected to the date on my passport, sometimes to whether my visa was genuine or fake, and sometimes even to excess baggage. These behaviors were clearly driven by prejudice and harassment. Nevertheless, I eventually managed to obtain a boarding pass and leave Iran.”
Ebadi says, “Migration is like starting life all over again. I have to learn a new language and culture and cope with longing and loneliness. Still, my goal is to continue my education and achieve freedom. I know that Afghanistan’s problem is not only the Taliban; deeply rooted traditions and beliefs also stand in the way of women. But I believe that one day women will obtain their human rights. I am still in contact with my family and friends, and as much as I can, I try to support them.”
Sonia, the mother of a university student, says her daughter has been studying in Malaysia at one of the country’s universities for three years. Sonia, who is a teacher at a public school, says that after Taliban rule, her daughter suffered severe depression and psychological problems. She adds: “My daughter was preparing for the university entrance exam from grade eleven and really wanted to study at Kabul University like her sisters. But after the ban on education for girls was imposed, I could not bear to see her broken, so we applied for one of the academic scholarships. Although it took a long time, she eventually managed to reach her dreams.”
This teacher stresses, “Sending my daughter away was not easy. We had a very simple, middle-income life. We did not even have the money for her travel to a second country, because there was no direct flight and she had to go via Iran. I borrowed money from my sons-in-law, friends, and relatives. Alongside economic problems, what I fought most against was regional culture and tradition. People said all sorts of things, but I paid no attention. Even my nephews and cousins opposed it and made both justified and unjustified remarks.” Sonia adds that during the process of her daughter’s departure, the ban on women traveling without a male guardian also became a serious challenge, but in the end, with the help of one of her husband’s friends who had influence and connections at the airport, her daughter was able to leave Afghanistan.
Farahnaz Nikfar (pseudonym), another woman who faced a similar fate, says she is a graduate of international relations. She adds that after completing her undergraduate degree, she saw herself restricted and confined in this geography and could not imagine a future for herself other than marriage. For this reason, she decided to go to Moscow to continue her studies. She emphasizes that she is from Sefidchahr in Panjshir, and within her family, everyone except her parents opposed her travel. According to her, they even took her to a mullah to dissuade her from her decision, but Farahnaz remained determined and traveled.
She says: “I am from the Sefidchahr area of Panjshir province, and all our relatives opposed girls studying and traveling without a companion. When I left Afghanistan for Russia, we initially hid this from my paternal family. When they found out, they were both surprised and angry. They thought my parents were lying and that I had run away or that something else had happened. In short, they did not speak to my father for several months. My maternal family, especially my aunts, always said that Russia has the biggest mafia and even said that staying without a husband is not good. They even took me to a mullah to see whether this decision was in my best interest or not. When they could not convince me, they did not speak to me for a long time.”
Nikfar states: “We had financial difficulties and had to borrow money to cover the expenses and initial arrangements of the trip, which my father managed. In addition, one of my uncles by marriage, who lives in London, took responsibility for sending monthly funds.”
Fereshta, a 38-year-old mother from Kapisa province, says she no longer has any hope for the future in Afghanistan. She emphasizes that she does not want her daughters to remain illiterate. She adds that apart from staying in Afghanistan, she will choose any country she can to leave for.
Fereshta says, “I swear I will go anywhere possible. Other than staying in Afghanistan, anywhere in the world. There is no hope left. I sold household belongings and also sold the small amount of gold I had saved over the years. There is only one thing on my mind: that my daughters do not remain illiterate like me.” She, who studied up to grade nine and always dreamed that her daughters would be educated, felt that all her efforts and dreams were being destroyed after schools were closed to girls.
She says, “How can I watch my daughters stay at home? I was also a victim of circumstances; I remained illiterate, got married, and could not achieve my dreams. But I will not allow my daughters to be trapped in a similar fate.” She emphasizes: “The country does not matter. The destination must be somewhere my daughters can study, whether it is Europe or even a small, remote town. Just a place where my girls can study.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) had previously stated in a report that more than 500 businesspeople have been forced to send thousands of dollars outside Afghanistan to cover the education costs of their daughters. The report states that these businesspeople send between 10,000 and 15,000 dollars every month to their families abroad so their daughters can continue their studies.
UNAMA, citing World Bank findings, has emphasized that the ban on education for girls and women above grade six causes 1.4 billion dollars in damage to Afghanistan’s economy annually. According to the organization, this economic loss, in addition to reducing economic activity, can inflict widespread damage on the country’s economic system.
Over the past more than four years, the Taliban have deprived women and girls of all educational, academic, and employment opportunities. According to credible reports by international human rights organizations, the Taliban have issued more than 100 restrictive decrees against women and girls in Afghanistan, systematically excluding them from all aspects of collective life.
In addition, the reduction of salaries for female employees, the approval of the Law for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and the ban on showing women’s voices and faces were among other restrictions that severely weakened the status of women and deprived them of active participation in society.
At the same time, Amnesty International has also stated that by removing women and girls from almost all spheres, the Taliban have made life unbearable for them. According to the organization, through imposing severe restrictions, the Taliban have systematically stripped women of their rights and human dignity.
The organization added that the restrictions imposed by the Taliban against women have caused their access to vital health services to sharply decline.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
ممنوعیت آموزش و مهاجرت اجباری؛ زنان چگونه به ترک افغانستان فکر میکنند؟
