Image :AFP The United Nations has announced that Nila Ibrahimi, a teenage Afghan advocate for girls’ education, has been selected among its 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals for 2025. According to the UN Youth Office, the 17 individuals were chosen from more than 33,000 applications submitted from 150 countries. The selected leaders, aged between 16 and 33, include founders of organisations, peacebuilders, social mobilisers, entrepreneurs, and creative innovators who are making an impact in key areas such as gender equality, climate change, human rights, and global peace. Felipe Paullier, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, said: “The 2025 Young Leaders represent the courage, creativity, and commitment of young people driving real change across the world. They are not only responding to today’s global challenges but also actively shaping the future.” Nila Ebrahimi, who currently lives in Canada, is a prominent voice for Afghan girls’ education. She serves as the head of Her Story Organization and last year received the International Children’s Peace Prize from the KidsRights Foundation.

Image :EFE/EPA/Samiullah Popal Girls: “In the past, the Taliban called America their enemy, but now they see women and girls as their enemies.” More than four years after the Taliban’s return to power, girls in Afghanistan have not only been deprived of the right to education but are now also banned from entering libraries; places that until recently were their only refuge of peace and hope. Girls told Zan News that the Taliban have closed the doors of public libraries to them, reserving these spaces exclusively for men. They emphasised that this new decision by the Taliban has severed their last remaining connection to knowledge and learning. Salima, a resident of Ghor province, said in a choked voice: “In the past, the Taliban used to say that America was their enemy, but now they see women and girls as their enemies. If not, why have they imprisoned us? We used to go to the library with men and read books together, but now we cannot even pass through the library gate.” Fahima Yousufi, a young woman from Kabul, spoke about the psychological pressure caused by this ban: “We cannot even read books anymore. The Taliban have taken away the libraries from us too. There is no way left to calm our minds and hearts. We are on the verge of losing our sanity.” In the northern provinces, the situation is no different. Maryama, a resident of Balkh province, said with distress: “The Taliban allow only men to study in public libraries. They have deprived us of the most basic human right, the right to read and to know.” At a time when Afghan girls are already deprived of education, employment, and social participation, closing library doors to them marks the Taliban’s latest assault on knowledge and enlightenment. Analysts say that with such decisions, the Taliban not only violate women’s rights but also push the cultural and intellectual future of an entire generation into darkness. Aqela Kamali, a girl from Kabul, said at the end of interview, her eyes filled with tears: “If reading books is a crime, then we are all criminals, because the dream of learning is still alive in our hearts.”

Photo: AFP/Getty Images UN Women, in its latest report, says Afghanistan under Taliban rule is witnessing a “deliberate and unprecedented attack” on the rights, freedoms, and dignity of women and girls. The Afghanistan Gender Index 2024, released on Sunday (October 26), states that around eight out of every ten young Afghan women are deprived of education, employment, and skills training; a rate nearly four times higher than that of men. According to the organisation, Afghanistan now has the world’s second-widest gender gap since the Taliban’s return to power, with a 76 percent disparity between women and men in education, health, decision-making, and financial participation. UN Women warns that Afghan women have been excluded from nearly every sphere of public life, a situation that has pushed the country significantly away from global standards of human development. The report adds that Afghanistan’s development “will continue to decline unless all people, especially women, are empowered to grow and participate.” Prepared with financial support from the European Union, the Afghanistan Gender Index 2024 assesses the status of women in five key areas: life and health, education and skills development, work and financial inclusion, participation in decision-making, and freedom from violence. The findings once again depict a bleak picture of women’s conditions in Afghanistan, where after four years of Taliban rule, millions of women and girls remain deprived of education, employment, and free public life, with their prospects for empowerment more restricted than ever before.

Final Part | Girls Who Still Haven’t Let Go of Hope Photo: UNICEF Author: Roina Bakhshi The girls supported one another through studying, and most of them began working as tailors to create a small ray of hope for themselves. Raihan blew out the candles on her eighteenth birthday cake and silently wished for the reopening of schools and the fulfillment of her dreams. Her father looked into Raihan’s hopeful eyes and heard the voice of her heart. “My dear daughter, study at home. Don’t lose hope. Believe in your future. You are your father’s brave girl.” Raihan smiled, spent a few moments with her family, and they enjoyed the cake together. Though standing again in the depths of darkness was deeply anxiety-inducing for Raihan, her books once more became her refuge. She decided not to care about what people said, because people always judge based on their own minds and perspectives. What truly matters is the voice of our own heart. Her father said lovingly, “My beautiful daughter, don’t worry! You must be strong. You will finish school, just keep trying and trust in God, who is very kind.” Raihan replied with a smile, “Yes, Father, you’re right. I will try again to stand tall. Your daughter has a father as courageous as you, and with you by my side, I have no fear.” Her father asked, “My daughter, do you promise?” Raihan smiled again and said, “Yes, I promise… Thank you for being there for me, dear Father.” Raihan had dreamed of being accepted into Kabul University as a journalism student, but sadly, that dream remains unfulfilled. Suddenly, with renewed excitement, she opened the cabinet doors, took out her notebooks and her black and blue pens, and began writing down her memories. Within her words and reflections, it was as if she began to soar. In the afternoons, Hadia would come to Raihan’s house, and the two of them eagerly reviewed their school subjects: math, biology, history, geography, and all the subjects necessary to prepare for the Kankor entrance exam. The next day, Hadia sat on the chair behind Raihan’s brown desk, staring at the green leaves of the trees beside the window. The weather was warm; she opened the window to let the fresh air fill her lungs. “Raihan, what do you think? Will we be able to take the Kankor exam? Will the Taliban allow us to attend university? I honestly don’t believe that the Islamic Emirate or the Taliban will ever let girls be educated.” She fell silent for a moment - then suddenly, her voice cracked, and she broke into tears. Raihan quickly got up, embraced Hadia, kissed her fragrant black hair, wiped her tears, and said, “My dear, we must believe in God and strive for our goals. We will take this exam, and in the end, we will succeed and enter university. We just need to be strong and not lose hope.” Raihan gently comforted Hadia, holding her in her arms, hoping with all her heart that her words would one day come true. In those difficult times, the girls stood by each other, resisted, and never stopped trying; so they could be a source of hope for their generation and continue their path with courage. (To be fully prepared for this exam.) She had been watching the news on TOLO TV for a few minutes when the announcement came: “Female students of grade twelve are allowed to take their final exams and make necessary preparations.” It was the best moment and the most uplifting news Raihan had heard in a long time. Overwhelmed with excitement, she immediately called Hadia. “Did you hear? We can take our twelfth-grade exams, and maybe later even the Kankor exam! It’s a positive step. What do you think?” Hadia was thrilled too. “Thank you, my dear, for the best news! Hahaha, look at you, today you truly gave Hadia a gift! We’ll soon have a mountain of work and preparation ahead of us!” Both girls were overjoyed and determined to do their best in the exam. After a long time, Raihan had a smile on her face. When her parents looked at her, they saw her laughing, and hope shining in her eyes. With kind behavior and a renewed spirit, she reconnected with her family and relatives. When the heart starts beating again and blood flows through the veins, passion and motivation return to the body. This news was a spark of hope for the Kankor exam. In the year 2023, on a partly sunny day, all the twelfth-grade girls returned to school to take their exam. The girls wore black clothing (hijab), and their beautiful faces were hidden behind black masks. When they saw their classmates again after so long, they embraced, kissed, smiled, and wept. How heavy the wait had been, how deeply the heart trembles in the countdown to seeing loved ones again. The exam, much like the Kankor, included all the subjects of grade twelve and was administered across several pages. Raihan and Hadia sat together on the same bench, busy solving the questions. At last, it was over, and they returned home filled with joy and excitement. They shared stories of the exam day with their families, recalling each memory one by one. As the real Kankor exam drew near, Raihan studied hard, determined to succeed and be accepted into her desired field, a profession neither her relatives nor the government approved of for girls. But Raihan was passionate about it and worked tirelessly to reach her goal. She knew that becoming a journalist under Taliban rule was incredibly difficult, yet she believed that one day she would be free and continue this profession, to bring pride and service to her people by sharing news and information through television channels. Hadia, on the other hand, loved economics and was eager to work in that field. Two different dreams, two different paths; both lined with the unique struggles that girls in the country now faced. First, the exam was to be held in the provinces. The girls, like the boys, happily completed the Kankor registration process. It was a moment filled with hope for their future and their dreams. But suddenly, everything changed. The government announced that girls would not be allowed to take the exam. Hearing the news felt like a sudden, crushing blow. It was hard to describe Raihan’s feelings, she had never imagined it would come to this. Her heart flared with pain, her belief shattered, and she cried again and again, as pearl-like tears soaked the hem of her clothes. Everything now felt like a dark galaxy in which Raihan was drowning. She no longer wanted to watch the birds outside her window. Their chirping no longer brought her peace, their fluttering from branch to branch and building of nests no longer fascinated her. Once, strength and kindness were visible in her eyes. But now, she was a girl whose spirit had been scattered in the air. No one could help her, because the government’s decision about the 2023 Kankor exam had already been made. The boys in the country took the exam without the girls and went on to enter the universities. It was a painful day for the girls. Raihan’s heart was more wounded than ever, and she endured a bitter experience that crushed her thoughts. “My dear, you’re destroying yourself… I can’t bear to see you in pain any longer.” “Mom, everything is ending me along with itself.” “My daughter, you’re not the only one… look, girls your age are suffering too. You must become a symbol of hope for them, not lose yourself.” Her hair had fallen messily over her shoulders, her eyebrows were furrowed, and she rested her head on her mother’s knees and drifted off to sleep. About a month later, the results of the boys’ exam were published on social media; a suffocating moment for the girls. Raihan said sorrowfully, “If I had taken the exam too, I would have received my results by now. I’m sure I would have succeeded.” Rahmat’s jokes sometimes lightened her mood. Hadia visited her often. They went to the library together and inhaled deeply the fresh scent of newly printed books. “In the heart of despair and under a dark shadow, we must look for a shining star.” “What if it doesn’t shine?” “No, believe me. When something is placed in your heart, the way to reach it will also be made.” “Raihan, come see this book! It’s by the Turkish author Hakan Mengüç. Look what he wrote!” “Seven principles of life: positive thoughts, love, unconditional faith, forgiveness, helping others, gratitude, and prayer from the heart.” “Yes, it’s so beautiful and precise. Listen to this too!” “The world is a tree of wishes, and that’s why you must give value to your dreams and thoughts.” “Raihan, let’s read more novels like this from now on.” “That’s a great idea. Books are loyal friends. I want to write about my feelings, experiences, memories, unfinished dreams, goals, and the moments I’ve lived.” “Now that’s the strong and brave Raihan I know!” How beautifully Rumi has said: Do not go to the alley of despair - there is hope. Do not go in the direction of darkness - suns exist The two of them picked up books and walked home together. Raihan believed that God would surely heal her heart and give her strength. One day, she would serve her family and her people and always remain a kind-hearted girl. Now Raihan lives in an uncertain future, floating between destiny and suspended dreams. Yes - this story reflects the lives of girls like Raihan, girls who live in Afghanistan today. Girls whose souls are restless but who hide their pain behind a smiling face and continue to live with courage.

Image: Elise Blanchard for The Washington Post Citizens: The Taliban allow us music at weddings in exchange for money While the Taliban have declared music “haram” (forbidden), citizens in several provinces say members of the group issue “religious permits” for playing music at events in exchange for bribes. Noorullah, a resident of Nimroz province who recently held his wedding ceremony, told Zan News that agents from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice demanded 45,000 Afghanis from him to allow music to be played at his celebration. He said: “The Taliban told me that if there is music at the ceremony, both the food and the wedding will be haram. But then they said there is one way, if you pay, you get a permit, and your music becomes halal.” This practice is not limited to Nimroz. In Ghor province, Wahid, another resident, said the Taliban demanded 25,000 Afghanis from him to allow four hours of music during his event. Wahid told Zan News: “At first they said music is haram and threatened me not to play it. But later, with a smile, they said if I pay 25,000, it becomes halal. After I gave them the money, they said I was free to play it.” Meanwhile, religious scholars and citizens say the Taliban have turned religion, pressure, and fear into a personal source of income. An independent cleric in Kabul, speaking anonymously to Zan News, said: “The Taliban use religion for their own benefit. When halal and haram are tied to money, it is no longer religion; it is business.” Since returning to power, the Taliban have banned music performances at events, restaurants, and media outlets, detaining or beating dozens of people for playing music. However, widespread complaints from various provinces reveal that what the Taliban call “haram” can easily become “halal” with money; a phenomenon people now refer to as “religious trade.”

Photo Credit: Reuters The European Union and Uzbekistan have expressed concern over the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan during their recent Cooperation Council meeting in Luxembourg. At the 18th meeting of the EU–Uzbekistan Cooperation Council, held on 21 October in Luxembourg, both sides stressed the need to strengthen political and economic cooperation and described “the humanitarian and human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly the conditions of women and girls,” as alarming. According to the official statement of the Council of the European Union, the two parties emphasised the importance of regional stability, countering terrorism, and upholding human rights. The European Union also commended Uzbekistan’s efforts in implementing human rights reforms, including combating forced labour and promoting gender equality. These concerns come as Afghan women have been systematically deprived of education, employment, and public participation since the Taliban’s return to power. Over the past four years, millions of Afghan women and girls have faced severe restrictions, enforced exclusion, and structural oppression; a situation that human rights organisations have described as a form of “gender apartheid.”

Image: unognewsroom Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has condemned the recent execution in Badghis province, saying that the Taliban are using public executions as a tool to intimidate the population and enforce social control. In a statement, Bennett said: “Public executions and other cruel punishments are not only a horrific form of violence but a deliberate means of instilling fear and suppressing society. These acts must be unequivocally condemned.” Referring to the absence of justice and judicial independence under the Taliban, he added: “The use of the death penalty is concerning in any country, but in Afghanistan, where there is no fair trial, it is even more alarming.” Bennett stressed that “the death penalty is a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment; it is often applied unjustly, irreversible in nature, and fails to serve as an effective deterrent against crime.” He said that last week’s public execution was another example of Taliban violence aimed at spreading fear and maintaining control. He called for the immediate suspension of all executions and urged the Taliban to begin the process of abolishing the death penalty entirely. This comes after the Taliban’s Supreme Court publicly executed a man convicted of murder on October 16 at a stadium in Badghis province. According to reports, since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, at least eleven people have been executed in public.

Image: AP Human Rights Watch has said that since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, they have carried out an unprecedented crackdown on press freedom and have nearly eliminated women’s presence in the media. In a report released on Thursday (October 23), the organisation stated that over the past four years, media outlets in Afghanistan have operated under strict censorship and surveillance by Taliban intelligence, while local officials of the group have arbitrarily enforced rules that have severely restricted the media environment. According to the report, “media outlets have reported that agents from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice make repeated visits to monitor compliance with regulations, especially the segregation of workplaces for men and women and ensuring that women wear the hijab.” Human Rights Watch stressed that these restrictions have led to a dramatic decline in the number of female journalists, with many provinces now having no women working in the media at all. Female reporters said that when working outside urban areas, they are required to travel with a male guardian and are not allowed to interview Taliban officials. Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “While all Afghan journalists have suffered and many have left the country, women journalists have been hit the hardest.” According to the organisation, the Taliban have forced women journalists to comply with their strict dress codes and have severely limited their appearance in television and media programmes. The broadcast of dramas and shows featuring women has also been banned. The report noted that the Taliban review media content before publication and censor anything they believe “undermines morale or public attitudes.” These pressures have driven many journalists to practise self-censorship, restricting their reporting to official and ceremonial events such as award ceremonies, diplomatic meetings, and development projects. A Kabul-based journalist told Human Rights Watch that he had been detained twice for failing to cover government events. Another said that after refusing to attend an official ceremony, he was barred from continuing his reporting. Human Rights Watch also drew attention to the dire situation of Afghan journalists in exile, saying that many of them face the risk of forced deportation from neighbouring countries. The organisation urged host governments to uphold the principle of non-refoulement and to protect Afghan journalists, especially women, from being forcibly returned to Afghanistan. Fereshta Abbasi emphasised: “The Taliban’s escalating crackdown on the media comes at a time when Afghanistan needs free and independent journalism more than ever.” She added: “The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries that have pledged to resettle Afghans should expand their support for at-risk Afghan journalists and halt all deportations to Afghanistan.” Human Rights Watch also called for increased resettlement of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to third countries and for stronger support for Afghan media outlets in exile, particularly for women journalists. Since the Taliban’s return to power, they have imposed sweeping restrictions on media and journalists. These measures have forced the closure of numerous outlets and driven hundreds of journalists, especially women, into exile.

Part Two | Silence After the Dream Social Media Author: Roina Bakhshi Raihan’s beautiful heart had become deeply saddened by the events of those days. Everything appeared vague and unclear to her, and she didn’t know what to do. As she was walking home, chatting with Mursal, her heart fluttered like a bird in a cage. Unpleasant whispers reached her heart. People in the cities wandered in fear and sorrow because of the war and violence. Raihan and her friends were worried about their educational future, fearing that they might no longer be allowed to attend school, and that the repressive government would bury their thousands of hopes. — “Goodbye, Mursal. Until we meet again.” — “Have we arrived? No thoughts are left in our minds, lost in uncertain thoughts.” “My daughter, welcome home. Come, I’ll bring you something to eat.” “No, Mom, I have no appetite… I just want to sleep and hide inside a dream.” It was as if this time, her dream had truly turned bitter. Kabul was handed over to the Taliban by the government. Time stopped, and everything suddenly vanished into smoke and air. Raihan sat silently in a corner, staring at the wall without saying a word. It was as if her eyes had lost the ability to blink. A dark era began for her and for other girls. Sleep fled from her hazel eyes; she no longer knew which dream to cling to, or with what motivation to wake up each morning. Raihan wondered how she was supposed to live from now on; how to breathe in this dusty, suffocating air that tormented her heart and eyes, how to comprehend this horror. She had fallen into depression. She no longer enjoyed leisure or laughter. She barely spoke. Her almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on some unknown point, and tears streamed from them like a flood. After the government announced that women and girls must stay at home, banning them from school, university, and work, Raihan and her friends suffered a severe psychological blow. They were mentally and emotionally shattered. They had never imagined such a day would come. Dreams that remained only dreams, and hands that never reached them. When she placed her schoolbooks and supplies in a cabinet so she wouldn't have to look at them anymore, her heart wept blood. Who could have believed she would end up like this one day? Raihan was no longer the same Raihan; she had become weak, withdrawn, and irritable. At home, she often lost her temper, especially with Rahmat, her playful and stubborn companion. Rahmat would constantly tease her with words that, to him, were just harmless jokes: “You’ll never go back to school or university. You have to stay home and do all the housework.” Sometimes, through jokes and without meaning to, we kill people with the bullets of our words. Raihan’s soul‑searing pain and her hands bound in chains had ignited a deep knot within her thoughts. Her social connections with friends and relatives had faded. She carried out household chores but always wanted to stay in her room, lying on her bed. Stress and pressure had consumed her. She spent her time alone, crying and grieving in silence. Every time she listened to the news, she wished everything had changed, but no… it was nothing more than a dream, a fantasy. Some of her friends and classmates had left the country and migrated. Raihan’s family, however, was struggling financially and could not afford to leave. Her family watched her suffering and felt heartbroken. Spiteful relatives would repeatedly say: “No girl can go to school anymore, and there’s no need for them to study anyway. Girls should do housework and get married as soon as possible.” Raihan did not want to marry right now, and she despised such hated remarks. But no one truly understood her or cared to. Her three closest friends were also suffering, perhaps even more than she was. Mursal left the country with her family. Rana got married to her cousin who lived in Badakhshan and moved there. Only Raihan and Hadia remained in Kabul. The pain of separation from her two dearest friends had left Raihan sorrowful. She loved them deeply and missed them immensely. She longed to see Mursal and Rana again, but now, that wish had become impossible; a distant reality. The migration of loved ones breaks the back of resolve and weighs heavily on the heart.

Sent to Zan TV Amid the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions that have severely limited the work of women journalists across Afghanistan, a new radio station called (Nawai Zan) has begun broadcasting in Herat, focusing exclusively on the work of female reporters. The founders of the station say its purpose is to support women journalists, advocate for women’s rights, and highlight news and realities related to women’s lives and challenges in today’s Afghanistan. According to the station’s director, all employees and reporters at the radio are women, and 80 percent of its programmes are educational. Meanwhile, several women who have found employment through the station expressed satisfaction with the opportunity, saying that despite ongoing pressure and threats, they are determined to be the voice of Afghan women; women now living under the Taliban’s control, censorship, and sweeping restrictions. The launch of Nawai Zan is seen as a rare and courageous step towards preserving freedom of expression and continuing the fight for women’s rights at a time when many media outlets have shut down and dozens of women journalists have been forced to stay at home.