Afghan students’ coats hanging on the wall, as the “Back to School” campaign launched by the Afghan government with the support of UNICEF, which brings 1.7 million Afghan boys and girls back to school. Photo by Eskinder Debebe, used with permission.
By Clarisse Sih and Bibbi Abruzzini
Today, for millions of young women and girls in Afghanistan, education is not just a right — it is an act of defiance. Since the Taliban regained control in 2021, access to learning has been brutally stripped away.
Afghanistan awoke to a new reality on Sunday, August 15, 2021. A woman who prefers to remain anonymous recalls stepping outside and hearing from a shopkeeper that the Taliban had taken control of the capital, Kabul. The atmosphere was tense; fear and uncertainty were etched onto every face. People hurried home, their expressions filled with worry. Just before the Taliban's return, the future had seemed promising.
“I cried a lot because I knew all my hopes and dreams were shattered.” Faced with the uncertainty of life under Taliban rule, the family made the difficult decision to leave Kabul and move to their village in Dara-e-Pech in the northeastern Kunar province.
Start of a new dark era
“After the Taliban took over the country, all women’s rights and activities in Afghanistan were trampled upon and stopped,” explains Hela, a participant of the Leadership Program developed by the Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT).
APT is a youth-led nonprofit organization in Afghanistan that actively addresses human rights crises, with a specific focus on women’s rights, while simultaneously promoting girls’ access to education through creative and impactful initiatives. Since its inception in 2010, APT activities have supported over 60,000 youth in 34 provinces promoting youth leadership, education, and a culture of peace.
“As darkness envelops a room where every lamp is shattered, so too are the hearts of countless Afghan girls, dimmed by despair and longing for the light of hope,” says an anonymous woman participant of the APT initiative.
Ajmal Ramiyar, Executive Director of the APT, refuses to let their dreams die.
“One day, no one will be restricted because of her gender and no child will face a future where their access to education is denied,” he says in an interview with Bibbi Abruzzini from the global civil society network Forus.
Ajmal knows firsthand what it means to be displaced by war. His lifelong fight for education began when his family fled Afghanistan in 1996 when the Taliban took over Afghanistan for the first time. Back then his sisters were barred from school.
Today, as an exiled advocate, he continues to fight for those who are left behind, and with APT he has led various initiatives, including establishing an elementary school for internally displaced children and launching the Afghan Youth Representative program to the UN.
Afghans represent one of the largest refugee populations in the world, with 2.6 million registered globally and an additional 3.5 million people are internally displaced, having fled their homes in search of safety.
After more than four decades of conflict, natural disasters, deep poverty, and food insecurity, Afghanistan remains in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. According to the UNHCR, the resilience of refugees, internally displaced people, and host communities is “slowly reaching its limit.”
With the sharp decline in security and opportunities since the Taliban takeover in 2021, the number of those forced to flee is expected to grow.
Defying oppression through education
As of today, it has been over 1,200 days since Afghan girls were banned from attending school beyond sixth grade. While Afghan boys resumed secondary school classes on 22 March, 2025, girls remain excluded with no plans announced for their return. Almost 400,000 more girls have been deprived of their right to education in 2025, bringing the total to 2.2 million according to UNICEF.
This restriction reflects the Taliban’s earlier rule (1996–2001) when girls’ education beyond primary school was also banned. Historically, girls’ access to education has been contested, with significant setbacks under Habibullah Kalakani in 1929, during the Mujahideen war era (1992–1996), and again under the Taliban since August 2021.
Before the Taliban’s first rise to power in 1996, Afghanistan had a relatively inclusive education system, with over 230,000 girls in school and thousands of women in professional and teaching roles. All that progress has been reversed.
Afghanistan currently ranks last (177th) on the Women, Peace, and Security Index, highlighting the severe impact of the ongoing educational ban. Ajmal and his team at APT refuse to accept the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education. They work on raising the “muffled voices of young women” and present “the thoughts of those currently experiencing right-violating policies on the ground.”
We had two choices: walk away and let 20 years of progress disappear, or find new ways to support Afghan youth. We chose the latter.
APT has developed innovative learning programs to keep education alive, focusing on e-learning initiatives that bypass physical school restrictions. Its online mentorship programs connect Afghan girls with global experts and provide a safe space for young women to write, share stories, and advocate for change and publication of their articles and policy briefs to amplify their voices internationally.
Even if they cannot enter a classroom, we will find ways to ensure they continue learning.
A group of Afghan women, former refugees newly returned from Iran, gathers at a UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) returnee camp in Sari Pul, Afghanistan. Photo by Eric Kanalstein. Used with permission.
The power of literacy: A tool for resistance
To Ajmal, literacy is more than just reading and writing — it is a weapon against oppression: “Literacy gives people the skills to break cycles of oppression and advocate for their rights.”
Three years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, the ban on girls’ education has not only stripped young women of their fundamental right to learn but has also triggered a mental health crisis of alarming proportions.
APT has recently shared young Afghan women’s narratives about the negative impacts of the Taliban’s restrictive policies on the mental health of women and girls, in particular on their daily struggles with trauma, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Eighty-two percent of Afghan women have reported worsening feelings of anxiety, isolation, and depression this year, a figure only set to worsen as women become increasingly restricted from public life.
Ajmal’s efforts have drawn international attention, but the struggle continues. He urges global support for Afghan-led initiatives like APT, which need resources to sustain their work. Advocating for scholarships is crucial to ensuring Afghan girls have access to education. Amplifying their voices by sharing their stories and publishing their work helps keep their plight visible.
Additionally, holding governments accountable and pressuring policymakers to challenge the Taliban’s oppressive policies are essential steps in the fight for justice and human rights in Afghanistan.
Protecting the rights of Afghan women is not just Afghanistan’s responsibility — it is a global duty.
In the words of Sona, a university student part of the APT network, “I think we deserve more than we have today.”
The fight for gender justice cannot be won without education. In the words of Ajmal:
Afghan women don’t need saving. They need access to opportunities. And when they get them, they will show the world just how powerful they are.
Tamana, APT Mentorship Program Participant adds: “The best sentence that always motivated me is: ‘Everyone, anything, if it gets in your way and hinders your progress, it means that you are on the right path. And if you continue, you will make significant progress.’”
This article, written by Clarisse Sih and Bibbi Abruzzini, is part of the #MarchWithUs campaign — a series of stories from gender justice activists from across the globe.
