X (her name has been kept anonymous to protect her identity) studied law in Afghanistan.

Growing up, I wanted to be a lawyer, specifically one protecting and promoting the rights of women. I graduated from school and continued my higher studies at university as a law student. Being a woman, specifically studying law, has never been easy in a country that has faced nearly 40 years of civil war, and where many people still think girls should stay at home. My classmates and I always felt a discrepancy between male and female students; girls are often seen as weaker in terms of speaking or making decisions. But we knew we could change this perception.

My favourite class was international law, because I wanted to expand my knowledge to other countries too. During my time at university, I learnt about the legal system of Afghanistan and rules about our constitution law, criminal law and many more. We studied human rights: women’s and children’s rights and how to raise our voices against the violence and those who are trying to enact violence. Over 20 years, people, both male and female, have come together and to make Afghanistan a place of aspiration and a homeland of for all.

In November 2020 there was a terror attack at Kabul University, which killed 35 people. Most of those killed and injured were students. People broke bones as they tried to jump out of windows to escape, with people scrambling over the walls of the campus. Fortunately, I was not there that day, but since then students haven’t been able to go to classes properly.

Now the Taliban has arrived and my ambitions have been crushed. They would never allow me, as a woman, to go out to work. Before we could go to university but now I do not see a future for myself. It has gone back to the dark days of 1996 to 2001 when there was not any education for girls and work for women.

Female students are in fear. Hopelessness. We’re all just sitting inside, and there are no women out on the streets. I understand that the Taliban are saying they will allow girls to study until the age of 12 years, meaning there is no way for many to complete university. Now it feels like parents’ efforts to work hard for their children and ensure they are educated was in vain and I have no idea what I will do next. It’s mainly about just staying alive. I’m in huge fear for my future. I don’t want to end up in the corner of a dark room – as I see myself at the moment.