More than five years have passed since the day Afghan girls’ lives entered a difficult chapter, when their dreams were shattered by the closure of school and university doors. These were girls who wanted to change their lives and their society through education and achieve progress. Today, however, girls across Afghanistan are deprived of their fundamental rights because of restrictions imposed by the Taliban regime and are unable to continue their education at schools and universities.
Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the daily lives of women and girls have changed. Because of their gender, their activities have been confined to the walls of their homes. More than five years have passed since thousands of girls were forced to put down their books and wait for the day when they could return to their studies. Yet years have gone by, and schools remain closed to girls.
These five years are not just a number. They represent a part of our lives, our youth, our efforts and our dreams that have quietly passed by. Today, if I had not been deprived of my right to education, I would be entering university and starting my first academic year. My sister would also have graduated, and many other girls would have continued on their paths toward progress without delay. But a major deadlock and an unjust decision by the Taliban regime have cast a heavy shadow over our lives, activities and aspirations. With each passing day, the restrictions continue to grow.
We were girls who woke up every morning with hope, packed our schoolbags, studied for exams and made plans for the future. But today, our mornings begin with despair, and our nights pass in sorrow and silence until dawn.
Over these five years, many girls have been deprived of their right to education, their right to choose and their opportunity to build a future. They could have become doctors, teachers, engineers, writers and artists and achieved their dreams. Instead, they have been forced to spend five years waiting.
Today, as a girl who has been deprived of education, I write once again and raise my voice to say that our pain is not limited to the closure of school doors. Our pain is that time has stopped for us. Our lives have moved on and our years of youth have passed, but the opportunities we have lost will not easily return.
For five years, many Afghan girls have looked longingly at the books, classrooms and universities where their places remain empty. For five years, many mothers and fathers have wished to see their daughters smile again as they leave for school. I hope those days will return.
Today, despite all these restrictions, the eyes of girls still shine with hope, and they continue to search for even the smallest opportunity to take flight again. Despite these restrictions, it seems that hope has not yet disappeared from their hearts.
Girls live and breathe with hope for a better tomorrow. Despite the restrictions and the heavy shadow of captivity, they have not surrendered and continue to look forward to a day of freedom. They are girls who still learn, strive and believe that knowledge and dreams cannot be silenced forever.
I am one of those girls, a girl who believes in a better future and is trying to find a path toward independence and progress despite difficult circumstances. I believe the day will come when we break the chains of oppression and take flight.
