This week the Taliban banned Afghan women from studying at university
The news comes months after the fundamentalist government also banned girls from attending school
We talk about it with Khadija Amín, an Afghan journalist who has been a refugee in Spain for a year: “They took everything from us”
“It’s so hard to see what’s going on“, explains Mediaset Khadija Amin, a young Afghan journalist who has been a refugee in Spain for a year. He fled his country after the Taliban took over. “The third day after Kabul fell to the insurgents, I went to RTA, the Afghan public television station where I worked as a presenter, and was denied access.. They told me that I could not continue in my role because I was a woman », she says. «My male colleagues, on the other hand, had no problems. After that, a Spanish journalist helped me leave the country.”
Now safe in Spain, Khadija was able to continue her journalism studies, but the news arriving from Afghanistan robbed her of sleep and calm. “This has now been another blow that will be difficult for us to overcome,” she adds. “I constantly get videos of college students crying and I can’t help but cry myself“, she admits. “My niece calls me in tears because she wants to train and the Taliban won’t let her.”
“The young women had many dreams for the future, they hoped to prepare and work in what they want, but now they have lost everything”, she points out. A return to the Middle Ages in the 21st century. “We cannot accept that in this century girls and young women are not allowed to study. Education is essential for the progress of a country. We have been fighting for our fundamental rights for 20 years, it took a lot of effort to obtain them and also to keep them, and now they have taken everything away from us again”.
For the first time, male students showed solidarity with them, many walking out of class and leaving the university to protest against the ban on women studying. “The fact that they support us is very promisingIt hadn’t happened before because men are afraid of the Taliban, that they do now is very positive, it’s important. Maybe it means something is changing,” he argues.
Khadija doubts the women’s protests will be of any use. “They are taking to the streets, but they will achieve nothing. No one can do anything, the United States could help change things, but they do nothing. For the Taliban this is a political game. When they want to get something, they take away an extra right from women to use it as a bargaining chip.” spit.
“I really don’t understand why the Taliban are doing this. If women don’t study there won’t be doctors, for example, and then who will treat their women? because they don’t let a man treat them… nothing makes sense,” she points out.
It hurts Khadija to witness these events from afar. “I can not do anything. Just that, giving interviews in favor of women’s rights, raising your voice against what is happening”, he defends himself, while fantasizing that the Taliban regime will soon end and he will be able to return to his country to help change things.
“It has been 15 months since the Taliban took over and the situation is getting worse every day. There is no future for women in Afghanistan. It’s a very dark future“, sentence.
