“I have a one-and-a-half-month-old boy and malnutrition threatens his life”

Wahida

teacher, Kapisa

“My name is Wahida, and I am a mother of five: three sons and two daughters. Before the Taliban took power, I had a good life. Alongside my husband, I worked as a teacher, and the income from this job allowed me to lead a comfortable life without relying on anyone else. My fellow companions and I always talked about the good days and planned for the future. Suddenly, the country took an unexpected turn, altering the fate of all Afghan women and confining them to a dark cage.

My husband, a former government employee, tried to take us out of the country, but his efforts did not yield the desired results. Numerous threats posed a danger to us, so, for the sake of our safety, we had to confine ourselves to our home.

After the arrival of the Taliban, my husband lost his job and I now teach 10 students, both girls and boys, privately at home to make ends meet. My husband has become addicted to drugs recently, and the reason behind this addiction is the lack of job opportunities for him.

I don’t know what to do. Our situation worsens every day. I don’t know how long this situation will persist.

Besides the economic decline, my mental and psychological well-being have been severely affected. We no longer have enough money to buy groceries. I have a one-and-a-half-month-old boy and malnutrition threatens his life. Furthermore, winter is approaching, and I don’t know how the infant will withstand the cold. How can we cope with all this grief?

With my educational qualifications and excellent grades, I contemplated seeking help from others and pleading for acceptance as a human being in this society. Can I ask for a piece of bread without being judged?

I don’t know how they talk about justice. The Taliban group is truly oppressive and they have removed women from society.

No human on this Earth has a complete understanding of the situations faced by women and girls in Afghanistan. We have become prisoners in our own homes and our lives have turned into hell.

No one pays attention to women’s rights. Even various groups outside the country, operating under the guise of the ‘defense of women’s rights,’ are active, but their efforts only result in self-promotion and no one truly defends Afghan women.

The school gates are closed to my daughters, and my sons have lost their motivation to study because they have lost hope.

Concrete action needs to be taken to make our future better. Here, anyone who raises their voice gets detained, and later they are forced to remain silent or face dire consequences. I want the global community to take action on this issue as soon as possible and get us out of this dark situation. We are tired of slogans.”

“We are only surviving as a nation; we fear the day when we will not even have the air to breathe”

A veiled and masked woman sits threading a sewing machine.