“I want the world to see the disparity and suffering of Afghan women in the face of recession.
Unimaginable hardship. I want to tell their stories. ”
The Taliban's rapid capture of Kabul in August 2021 shocked Sarma's world. It was during her third year of junior high school that she found herself in the middle of her midterm exams when the news broke. For Salma, the Taliban represented absolute evil, a force that viewed women as the enemy and used whipping, shooting, and explosions as a means of control. The mere thought of their rules made Salma consider taking her life. “I was so upset that thoughts of suicide came to mind.” she revealed.
The Taliban's initial actions, banning girls from secondary schools and expelling women from government positions, were only the beginning of a movement to exclude women from public life. Despite these restrictions, private educational centers and universities remained open to women for some time. However, as the Taliban tightened their grip, they systematically stripped women of their freedom and confined them to their homes.
Amidst the darkness, a ray of hope appeared for Salma. It's online education. With access to high-speed internet, smartphones, and laptops, girls like Salma will be able to defy the Taliban's efforts to keep them ignorant. While the majority of girls in Afghanistan do not have this opportunity, Salma is fortunate to have the unwavering support of her family and the means to access online learning resources.
Salma's mental anguish gradually grew as she took every opportunity that came her way, including enrolling in an online English course and joining a book club for Afghan girls run by an American woman a thousand miles away. He was even able to complete his journalism program in 2023. Despite the challenges she faced, she maintained a disciplined schedule and immersed herself in the world of virtual classrooms, animation, and books. All the while, she tirelessly pursued a scholarship to study abroad in an English-speaking country in order to break out of the prison she was currently trapped in.
Salma has the support of her family, but many of her colleagues are not so lucky. Economic hardship and cultural norms often force girls into early marriage, robbing them of their hopes and dreams. Salma told how four of her classmates, who were not yet teenagers, had already gotten married against their will. “Unfortunately, very few girls have family support and access to the internet and books. For example, in my neighborhood, 8 out of 10 families are unable to pay for the internet due to poverty. Support Afghanistan For those who have the means and resources to help girls learn and give them words of hope is like rescuing them from the brink of destruction.”
Salma refuses to be silenced by the darkness that surrounds her. Before the rise of the Taliban, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. But in the face of her adversity, her dream took a new shape. Now, she dreams of becoming a journalist and telling the world about the disparities and suffering of Afghan women, who face hardships beyond her imagination.
