Afghan girls who study in secret want you to read their "letters to the world"
Teenage girls studying in a secret basement school in Kabul have issued handwritten "letters to the world" to voice their struggle under Taliban rule. These students are pursuing their education in defiance of the regime, using clandestine facilities and online platforms to continue learning. The letters serve as a plea for international attention to the voices of Afghan women and girls, which the students describe as being choked under the current administration.
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- ✓ Teenage girls in Kabul are attending a secret school located in a basement.
- ✓ Afghan girls are using online platforms to defy the Taliban and continue their education.
- ✓ Students at a secret Kabul school wrote handwritten letters appealing for the world to hear the voices of Afghan women and girls.
What changed
CBS News gained rare access to a secret basement school in Kabul where students provided handwritten letters.
Live updates
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Afghan girls in secret Kabul school issue handwritten appeals to world
Teenage girls studying in a secret basement school in Kabul have issued handwritten "letters to the world" to voice their struggle under Taliban rule. These students are pursuing their education in defiance of the regime, using clandestine facilities and online platforms to continue learning. The letters serve as a plea for international attention to the voices of Afghan women and girls, which the students describe as being choked under the current administration.
Why it matters
The Taliban regime has imposed draconian restrictions on female education in Afghanistan. This has forced students to seek learning through secret physical locations and digital tools to avoid detection.
What is confirmed
- Teenage girls in Kabul are attending a secret school located in a basement.
- Afghan girls are using online platforms to defy the Taliban and continue their education.
- Students at a secret Kabul school wrote handwritten letters appealing for the world to hear the voices of Afghan women and girls.
Still unconfirmed
- Schools in Kandahar are beginning a new academic year while facing teacher shortages.
What to watch next
- International response to the handwritten letters from the Kabul basement school
- Further reports on the scale of online education networks for Afghan girls
confidence 90%Sources used for this update (7)
- CBS News — Afghan girls who study in secret want you to read their "letters to the world"
- NBC News — ‘I’m going to fight’: How Afghan girls are defying the Taliban to learn online
- KabulNow — Afghanistan’s Kandahar Schools Begin New Academic Year Facing Teacher Shortages
- Yahoo — Under Taliban control, Afghan girls write "letters to the world" from their secret school
- unmissions.org — Literacy: improving lives, building prosperity in Afghanistan
- www.wwaytv3.com — We visited a secret Afghan girls school. They surprised us with handwritten “letters to the world.”
- kabulnow.com — ‘Don’t You See Afghanistan?’ Afghan Girls Send Desperate Letters to the World
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