“I look forward to a day where women and men stand side-by-side again, experiencing equal rights”

I was in my last year of high school when education for girls was banned, and my dream of wearing a white coat and becoming a doctor vanished.  

I faced very difficult conditions, and every night I had nightmares and tremendous fear for the Taliban. When the Taliban first entered the city, I couldn’t leave the house for a month. I witnessed girls being whipped by the Taliban just because they didn’t wear the desired hijab. 

My family was also worried about having a young, unmarried daughter and they tried to choose a good candidate for me to marry to comfort them. Every day, more of my classmates were married off for fear of the Taliban, and this pressure from my family increased on me too.  

Gradually, my mental condition deteriorated and I sometimes suffered from severe shortness of breath. This condition became an excuse and that’s how I escaped the trappings of marriage. The family whose son I was to marry no longer wanted me. 

To relieve my mental stress, I started working at a company and was happy to be able to support my family. However, after a while, work restrictions on women were imposed, and a Taliban notice was sent to our company informing them that they had to dismiss all female employees from their duties. I was fired, and my life was filled with even more despair. 

In the life we ​​live, the Taliban make all the decisions, and even within our homes, we don’t feel at ease. They have stolen our intellectual freedom and our freedom of expression. 

I wanted to become a doctor, but the Taliban closed the doors of universities. However, institutes for studying nursing and midwifery are still open so I’m attending one of these private institutes to study midwifery and live the dream of helping women in remote areas who do not have access to a hospital. 

I urge everyone watching not to leave Afghan women alone because if we become victims, the world will never find peace.”