Afghanistan: “We are dead and yet alive”
“I feel like I am in a prison,” said Fatima,* a young female Afghan aid worker. “They must just kill and bury all of us girls in Afghanistan. I feel unwanted and hated by the authorities. This is not a life. We are dead and yet alive."
Fatima was reacting to the decrees issued in December by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, banning women from attending university and working for non-governmental organizations.
Since August 2021, the de facto authorities have introduced a slew of measures that have increasingly restricted women’s and girls’ rights. This includes their right to education, their right to employment and their freedom of movement. These restrictions have increasingly confined women and girls to their homes and erased them from society. Afghanistan has fast become the world’s worst country to be a woman.
Fatima added: “With these bans on women, I feel lost and blocked in a cage. Without purpose, it feels like we are just like animals that have no goals. Women no longer have a future or hope.”
Impact of education ban
Fatima explained her situation: “Every time I am in the office with other female colleagues from different countries, I am inspired. I feel the sky is the limit. I am that Afghan girl with great potential to be like them and to be what I want.
“My Master’s degree studies have been affected after the 20 December decree, which banned all female students from attending higher education. I need this degree for my job. This is vital for me and my future.
“The Taliban refused to let us complete our studies online. They argued that it is not about the physical presence of women and girls at the universities but access to education – whether online or physical.
“I feel so sad for my friends who were in the final years of their studies. They will be condemned to being beggars, farm workers or informal traders, and yet they have the potential to help develop the country. It is so painful and sad to lose so many years of education.”
An inspiration and a breadwinner
Fatima feels utter despair that after so many years of hard work, her efforts are slowly amounting to nothing. The space is shrinking, almost shutting down.
“I am proud that I am the first person in my family to graduate with a degree,” she said. “I am a huge inspiration to my family, young girls and my community.
“My family is so proud that an Afghan girl like me can do it, and that has changed other families’ views on girls. Every family wants their child – their girl child – to be like me.
“I am the only one with a stable income in my family. My brothers are struggling to get employment. My parents are retired and they need my help. I am the breadwinner as my family depends on me, and yet today I worry about job security – not because I do not have the qualification or competencies to do the job but because of the attitude of our leaders.
“If we do not go to work, what will happen to our jobs? How long are we going to work from home? What will happen to those who depend on me for survival?”
Passion, purpose, impact
Fatima added: “My current job gives me a deep sense of purpose. It is an escape from the oppressive environment. It makes me see a brighter future and gives me a sense of hope that an Afghan girl can make it out there in the world.
“It gives me a sense of purpose because I feel I am helping people. I am touching people’s lives. I am inspiring young girls and families as a female.
“I love helping other people. That brings happiness to their lives. The ban on female aid workers means I am no longer able to do my job.
“I am a field-based officer. I cannot do my job from the office or home. I need to go and meet the people, talk with them and hear what they say about our projects. I cannot achieve my work goals unless I go to the field.
“Not being able to help women and girls because of a ban is so painful. Afghan women and girls count on us for help.
“The ban is preventing us from doing our work, but most importantly it is preventing women and girls from accessing vital humanitarian services.
“I feel so demoralized because I am now unable to do what I was hired to do. It hurts. It makes me feel inadequate. I always feel great when I successfully do what I am hired to do.”
Hopelessness and fear
“Every time we discuss the ban on women, I feel like we Afghan women do not belong to this Earth; we are not human and are aliens, which the Taliban is dealing with.
“When I talk to other women and girls, they tell me that their only hope is the United Nations, other Muslim countries and the international community.
“Afghan people can no longer express themselves. They are full of fear in them. They have seen the worst and they choose to stay alive than be killed by the Taliban.
“Everyone is counting on the international community to stand by the people of Afghanistan. We are also appealing to other Muslim countries to step up and stand by the people of Afghanistan.”
A final message
Fatima has a message for the Taliban: “Trust us. We are Muslim women. We know the values of our religion and culture. We are happily applying those values every day of our lives. I am and will forever comply with the rules and regulations of Islam.
“Please do not kill us by taking away our rights. My job is about helping people, which is part of the principles of Islam. Do not stop me. I have dreams as a person. Think about your daughters. It is not sharia law if professional women are turned into beggars, street vendors or farm workers when they could be doing better.”
*Name has been changed.