It has been four years since severe restrictions were imposed on women in Afghanistan—restrictions that have not only disrupted normal life but pushed many to the brink of self-immolation and suicide. This bitter yet true narrative echoes the silent voices of thousands of girls in this land.
Life for Afghan women—especially the girls breathing in the heart of insecurity and extremism—has become a silent battlefield every single day; a war for preserving the most basic human rights.
Each morning, I begin with the hope that maybe today, this bitter nightmare will come to an end. A nightmare that has stolen my sleep for four years and destroyed my joys: education, work, learning, happiness, and even the right to simply breathe.
They tell us: cover yourselves because your bodies are provocative, don’t speak, stay at home, be deprived of education, and even submit to forced marriage.
But what more do they want from us?
Do they want us to kill ourselves? Or spend our lives with someone we were forced to marry?
Even during the time of the Prophet of Islam, women like Khadijah were businesswomen, and girls were educated. Women were seen as human beings, not sinful beings. So how is it that today, in the name of religion, women have been pushed to the margins?
We, the women of Afghanistan, are standing amidst humiliation, social pressure, harsh prohibitions, and security threats. We are not silent. We are standing because we know our silence will only license more crimes.
We have risen from the soil—wounded but alive, weary but determined.
We do not wish to be heroes; we only want to be free, as every human being deserves to be.
If we do not scream today, another girl will become a victim tomorrow.
We are the women of Afghanistan — we are alive, we will remain, and we will fight.
By Nargis Dolatshahi
