On a hot summer day, August 15, 2021, when the Taliban entered Kabul, millions of lives in Afghanistan changed. Shallah, a 16-year-old girl, ran to the garden with tearful eyes to tell her mother that Afghanistan had fallen. This event marked a turning point in the fate of not only her but also many Afghan women and girls.
Fatima, her younger sister who is only 11 years old, heard the news at a relative's house. At that time, she did not fully understand what this event meant and who the Taliban were. However, her older sister, Mahin, who is 22 years old, knew well what the consequences of these developments would be. She recalls that while reading the news on her phone at work, her hands were shaking violently.
Exile and Despair
Over the past year, hundreds of thousands of Afghan women and girls have been returned from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan, where they now live under severe restrictions. These sisters, who have returned to Afghanistan due to harsh conditions, face a major challenge: how can they continue to live in a society that has stripped them of their rights to education and work?
Shallah and Mahin firmly believe that one day the Taliban will need women to be educated in various fields. This vision, although it seems distant, motivates them to never lose hope. Fatima, gazing into an uncertain future, says, "We must continue our education because this is our only way to salvation."
This story is not only a narrative of the pain and suffering of these three sisters but also of hundreds of thousands of other women in Afghanistan who, under the dark shadow of the Taliban, strive to make their voices heard in society. Will the day come when their rights to education and work are restored?
