Photo : Lynzy Billing
Photo : Lynzy Billing
AGAINST ALL ODDS , many Afghan women and girls are still getting an education
WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE STANDING UP TO TALIBAN RULES AND DEMANDING ACCESS TO EDUCATION IN HOPES OF A BETTER FUTURE
by Hannah Denys
Angiza , an eighth grader , puts on her school uniform every morning , finds a quiet corner in her house , opens her books , and studies by herself . She breaks for lunch , then returns to her books until what would be the end of a normal school day in Afghanistan . Even though the Taliban has closed schools for adolescent girls like Angiza , she is not putting down her books or lessons . Even if she must do it alone , she is determined not to give up her education .
Across the globe , women and girls like Angiza are losing their basic freedoms . Nowhere is the threat more daunting than in Afghanistan , where the Taliban , back in power since August 2021 , is attempting to not just repress girls and women , but to render them invisible .
In a series of oppressive and misogynistic rulings during its first year back in power , the Taliban has attempted to destroy the lives of women and girls by denying their rights to education , employment , and free movement . It has decimated the country ’ s system of protection and support for women fleeing domestic violence ; beaten or imprisoned women and girls for protesting new restrictions ; and contributed to
FALL 2022 JOURNEY OF HOPE | 3