the effects of the taliban: Sarah's essay

Watch Sarah's video on the effects of the Taliban on Afghan women and read the expanded version below.

Written by Sarah

Women have always been the main figures in society, whether people acknowledged it or not. From raising generations to leading movements, our role has been essential in shaping communities and nations. But today in Afghanistan, the Taliban wants to erase women from public life—pushing us back into the shadows of our homes and silencing our voices. What I’ve come to realize is that their goal isn’t just about limiting opportunities. It’s about trying to strip away the very identity of women.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world where women are forbidden to attend secondary school and beyond. Why? Because a group of ignorant and irrational terrorists fear knowledge. They fear the power of women who can think, who can speak, and who can lead. They are afraid that educated women will become outspoken, will challenge their control, and will no longer accept being suppressed. This is not about religion, and it’s not about culture—it’s about power, and their fear of losing it.

When Afghanistan fell, I was in grade twelve. I remember clearly that I was taking my midterm exam in history when the examiner came in and told us to hand over our papers and go straight home because the Taliban had entered the city, and that was the last day I ever attended school in my own land.

But for me, it wasn’t an end—it was a beginning. I started searching for opportunities outside the country and, eventually, I found a way to start a new chapter for myself, first in Bangladesh and now in the US. But I know that there are many girls and women back home who still face more restrictions every single day, and their futures are stolen from them simply because they are women.

But even in the face of violence and fear, they continue to raise their voices, to teach in secret, to write, and to dream of a future where equality is not a crime. Every girl who still dares to open a book in Afghanistan is an act of resistance. Every woman who refuses to be erased is proof that in the very end, the Taliban cannot kill hope.