The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises this year.

In a corner of a small carpet-weaving workshop in the city of Herat, the sharp sound of tying knots on the loom has replaced the murmurs of classroom lessons. The fragile hands of girls who once eagerly turned the pages of books with hope and passion are now busy weaving carpets whose every knot tells a bitter story of their unfulfilled dreams.

Four years after the Taliban’s takeover, Afghan women and girls are not only deprived of education and work, but sports are also forbidden for them. A number of female athletes have left the country and continue sports in exile, but inside Afghanistan there are still girls who only practice in secret, living in fear of the Taliban, while keeping alive the dream of playing in international arenas.

A number of Afghan journalists, women’s rights activists, former military personnel, and civil society activists residing in Pakistan held a gathering in Islamabad to protest against the forced deportation of Afghan migrants.