I BELIEVE ADVOCACY FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IS THE ONLY WAY OF SUPPORTING AFGHAN WOMEN AND GIRLS

Zulaikha

University student, Kabul

“Before the Taliban takeover, I was working as a Resident Assistant at the American University of Afghanistan. Besides that, I was working as a part-time advocate for women in sport. I was initiating and coaching a football club for young girls and working closely with them on “Women in Sports” advocacy, particularly among young girls in schools and universities.

My life could have been much different if the Taliban didn’t take over Afghanistan. I would have been registering my club in the Afghanistan Football Federation and moving forward.

However, after August 2021, our dreams were shattered into pieces. The most significant change in my life over the last year has been developing a stronger version of myself – the one who kept motivating girls to not give up hope.

Hence, I started an online web-design platform for startup businesses and working with girls to share my knowledge of web development/design with them.

In this moment and in the current context of Afghanistan, the most important issue is education. It’s been more than 500 days that Afghan women and girls have been deprived of their education. They are not allowed to go to school or universities.

The only wish I have for the future of Afghan women and girls is freedom.

It has been more than decades that others have been taking decisions on behalf of women and girls in Afghanistan. I hope one day women and girls of Afghanistan will have the freedom to choose the life they want and to live the way they want to live.

I believe advocacy is the key for supporting women and girls in Afghanistan. Everyone should be aware of the equal rights of men and women in society. However, currently, most people in Afghanistan – including women – are unaware of women’s rights.

In Afghanistan, under the Taliban it is quite hard to stand up for women’s rights and freedoms. However, it seems quite possible at the international level since the de facto authorities are less likely to go against them. I sincerely request the international community and NGOs to support and engage women in their activities and develop proposals for meaningful women’s engagement.”

I was the only breadwinner for my family.