Women and girls in Afghanistan are defying the Taliban at secret schools. ‘We are not alone’
Under the shadow of the Taliban’s rule, Afghan girls risk their lives attending covert lessons for a chance at freedom
AFGHANISTAN
Two years ago, Diba was about to finish school and hoped to attend a public university in Afghanistan. Her family, though not rich, supported her because they believed education was the best way to a better life. She spent late nights at the library, studying for the university entrance exam. During the day, she hung out with her friends, wore whatever she liked, and dreamed about her future, just like any other girl. All her hard work paid off, and she became a computer science student at the university. Her dream had come true.
But then the Taliban arrived. Everything collapsed overnight. Diba’s studies were swapped for hard labour, her bright clothing with a black veil covering her body head-to-toe. Her future, her face, all disappeared.
The Taliban ruled the country from 1996 to 2001. With the invasion of American forces and their overthrowing, a spark of hope emerged among Afghan women. They started to heal their wounded souls by advocating for their rights under the governance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, returning to universities and taking on various social roles.
But in September 2021, after the withdrawal of the US and Nato forces from Afghanistan and the collapse of the Republic government, 20 years of efforts of Afghan women were erased at a glance. With the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on 15 August that year they have once again issued numerous orders for the systematic exclusion of Afghan women from society. This includes banning girls from going to universities and attending secondary schools.
So, many women went back to what they had been doing 25 years ago – creating underground schools. Since 1996, the first takeover of the Taliban, Afghan women have invented a form of defiance by continuing their education. Underground schools are hidden places inside homes that are run mainly with the help of trusted volunteer teachers and families, despite the threats to their lives.
Teachers and students attending underground schools face likely punishments such as imprisonment, whipping and beating. With rumours of executions for girls who study, it’s little surprise all of those interviewed refused to be pictured and asked for their names to be changed.
In a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Kabu
