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year after the Taliban takeover, 17-year-old Mursal Fasihi is still in disbelief that she cannot go back to school. Once a dedicated student, Ms. Fasihi \u2013 like all girls of secondary school age \u2013 has been unable to return to the classroom due to rules imposed by the country\u2019s de facto leadership. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt is not right that they are deciding for us, ordering us to go with mahram [a male companion], that we should hide our faces, and stop going to school,\u201d she says, referring to the series of directives that have effectively restricted women and girls from participating in public life.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The last time Ms. Fasihi saw the inside of a school was when she took her final examination for 11th grade in July 2021. A month later, the Taliban swept across Afghanistan, which ended with the fall of Kabul on 15 August.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Some of her friends were able to leave Afghanistan and are now continuing their education overseas. \u201cI really miss my friends, my teachers, and my school. My school was a great place but now I can\u2019t go there,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Her dreams of becoming a doctor are now uncertain. But her hope will not be extinguished. To fill her time and still feel productive, Ms. Fasihi joined the Youth Peer Educators Network (Y-PEER), a regional initiative led by and for youth, supported by the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Y-PEER focuses on building young people\u2019s life skills to deal with the challenges that they face. Ms. Fasihi joined a training session last July and is now one of the 25 trainers for Y-PEER in Afghanistan.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The training opened her eyes to various issues young Afghans face on a daily basis. As an educated young woman in the city of Kabul, she had not realized how many girls, especially young girls living in poverty or in remote areas, suffer from negative experiences such as early marriage and adolescent pregnancy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The unprecedented increase in poverty, resulting from the economic crisis that came with the Taliban\u2019s return to power in Afghanistan, has brought to the fore discussions about these concerns. Out of desperation, many families have resorted to marrying off their young daughters, offloading responsibility for their care and protection. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt is sad because how can a child bring another child into this world and raise them?\u201d Ms. Fasihi points out. \u201cAt our age, we are just children. We should be studying, aiming for great things. It\u2019s not time for us to get married yet.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u2018I miss my friends, my teachers and my school\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
An unprecedented increase in poverty<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
Waiting for the dark cloud to pass<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n