The following narrative poem is the first in a new series of stories shared by Afghan students of Classrooms Without Walls.
Afghanistan breathes under the Taliban flag.
And for five years, the girls of this land have only been breathing — not living.
Here, being a girl feels like being a criminal.
A criminal deprived of all basic human rights, a girl who can not go to school,
cannot work, can not play sports, and can not even leave the house freely.
Here, a girl is treated like a servant —
someone with no rights, expected only to cook and stay in the kitchen.
Here, girls of 14 or 15 are forced into marriage, simply because they are girls, and have no choice over how they live their lives.
I am a girl who has lived in Afghanistan for the past five years.
During these five years, I have only passed the days — I have not lived.
Each day feels like a nightmare,
lived with the hope that one day everything will change and we will be free.
Girls in Afghanistan are not allowed to work.
And let me tell you about “Nooria”…
Nooria is a young girl who lost her father and has no brother.
She was forced to disguise herself as a boy to earn a piece of bread for her family.
She cut her hair short, wore boys’ clothes, and started working in a restaurant.
But after a few days, the Taliban discovered the truth.
She was arrested and imprisoned.
Nooria is not alone.
Thousands of girls in Afghanistan to support their families,
are forced to hide their identities and live as boys in order to work outside the home.
Being a girl here is very hard…
Very hard.
