Afghan girls who study in secret want you to read their "letters to the world"

Live updates

1. 19d ago

   Afghan Women Pursue Secret Education Amid Bans

   Five years have passed since the Taliban outlawed education for women beyond the sixth grade, forcing English and math lessons into underground backroom sewing classes. Twenty-one teenage girls in Kabul continue to pursue clandestine education through secret facilities and online platforms, sending handwritten letters to the world to demand basic human rights and ordinary lives. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has unsealed arrest warrants targeting Taliban education ministers. These developments highlight the severe restrictions on female schooling and the ongoing efforts of Afghan students to defy the bans through covert operations.

   Why it matters

   The denial of secondary and higher education for females remains a core policy of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. International pressure and legal actions, including efforts by the International Criminal Court, seek to address these systematic human rights violations. Despite the extreme risks, students continue to organize clandestine learning environments.

   What is confirmed

   • It has been five years since the Taliban outlawed women's education beyond sixth grade.
   • English and math lessons have been forced underground into backroom sewing classes.
   • Twenty-one teenage girls in Kabul are pursuing clandestine education through secret facilities and online platforms.
   • Students provided handwritten letters to CBS News detailing their goals for an ordinary life.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The International Criminal Court has unsealed arrest warrants for Taliban education ministers.

   What to watch next

   • Developments regarding the unsealed International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Taliban education ministers.
   • Further actions by the international community concerning the denial of education for Afghan women and girls.
   Sources used for this update (7)

   1. www.state.gov — Press Releases - United States Department of State
   2. www.inquirer.com — Inquirer.com archives
   3. economictimes.indiatimes.com — International Criminal Court unseals arrest warrants for Taliban education ministers
   4. www.timesnownews.com — Malala Yousafzai Survived a Taliban Bullet At 15, But Her Journey Was Far From Over | Times Now
   5. www.csmonitor.com — In backroom ‘sewing’ classes, Afghan women stitch together an education in secret - CSMonitor.com
   6. lexanteinternet.blogspot.com — Lex Anteinternet: October 2026
   7. en.wikipedia.org — Hookah - Wikipedia
   confidence 80%
2. 25d ago

   Afghan girls continue secret education despite Taliban restrictions

   Twenty-one teenage girls in Kabul are pursuing clandestine education through secret facilities and online platforms to bypass Taliban prohibitions. These students provided handwritten letters to CBS News detailing their goals for an ordinary life and calling for global attention to the denial of basic human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan. The letters serve as a direct appeal to the international community to recognize the strict controls imposed by the current administration.

   Why it matters

   The Taliban government has banned girls from formal education, forcing students into dangerous underground networks. These secret schools represent a defiance of state policy to maintain literacy and academic progress.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Twenty-one Afghan girls are studying in secret and sent letters to CBS News regarding their aspirations.

   What to watch next

   • International diplomatic responses to the letters from Kabul students
   • Reports on the discovery or closure of clandestine schools by the Taliban
   Sources used for this update (3)

   1. www.jpost.com — Israel News
   2. www.letterstotheearth.com — Events | Letters to the Earth
   3. en.wikipedia.org — Wahhabism - Wikipedia
   confidence 50%
3. 27d ago

   Afghan Girls Defy Taliban to Share Letters with the World

   Twenty-one Afghan girls defying the Taliban government by studying in secret handed letters to CBS News containing their aspirations for an ordinary life. Teenage students in Kabul operate clandestine facilities and use online platforms to pursue an education amid severe oppression and a denial of basic human rights. These handwritten documents demand international attention for Afghan women and girls facing strict controls under the current administration.

   Why it matters

   Teenage girls continue to study in secret basement schools five years after the United States exit from Afghanistan. Women in the country face severe oppression and are denied basic freedoms by the administration.

   What is confirmed

   • Twenty-one Afghan girls studying in secret handed letters containing their dreams to CBS News.
   • Teenage girls in Kabul continue to study in secret basement schools five years after the United States exit.

   What to watch next

   • Whether international organizations respond to the letters from the secret students
   • Further reports from clandestine schools in Kabul
   Sources used for this update (4)

   1. www.newstalk985.com — Afghan girls who study in secret want you to read their ...
   2. en.wikipedia.org — Punjabis - Wikipedia
   3. theopenletters.substack.com — The Open Letters | Substack
   4. en.wikipedia.org — Baháʼí Faith - Wikipedia
   confidence 100%
4. 29d ago

   Afghan Women Wait and Study Quietly Five Years After US Exit

   Teenage girls in Kabul continue to study in a secret basement school to defy the Taliban government, operating five years after the United States exit. Women in Afghanistan face severe oppression under the current administration, dealing with little to no freedom and a denial of basic human rights. Students use clandestine facilities and online platforms to pursue education, issuing handwritten letters to the world to voice their struggle. They demand international attention for Afghan women and girls whose voices are being choked.

   Why it matters

   The Taliban implemented a ban on female secondary and higher education in 2022. While this restriction has drawn international condemnation, it has faced few other consequences so far.

   What is confirmed

   • The Taliban enforced a ban on female secondary and higher education in 2022.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Teenage girls in Kabul continue to study in a secret basement school to defy the Taliban government.

   What to watch next

   • Any shifts in international consequences regarding the 2022 female education ban
   • Future developments in underground educational facilities and online learning platforms in Kabul
   Sources used for this update (2)

   1. baptistnews.com — Five years after US exit, Afghan women wait, hope and quietly ...
   2. elderofziyon.blogspot.com — 09/30 Links Pt2: 85 years later: Babyn Yar and the fight against deliberate erasure; Jeremy Boreing: They....
   confidence 80%
5. 31d ago

   Afghan Girls Defy Taliban Rule With Secret Education

   Teenage girls in Kabul continue to study in a secret basement school to defy the Taliban government. Under the current administration, women in Afghanistan have little to no freedom and are denied basic human rights. This oppression has persisted for the past five years. Students use clandestine facilities and online platforms to pursue education, issuing handwritten letters to the world to voice their struggle and demand international attention for Afghan women and girls whose voices are being choked.

   Why it matters

   The Taliban government has severely restricted women and girls since taking power, stripping them of basic rights and access to formal education. In response, underground educational networks have emerged in locations like Kabul to keep learning alive. These secret efforts highlight the ongoing resistance of Afghan youth against systemic state-sponsored erasure.

   What is confirmed

   • Teenage girls are studying in a secret basement school in Kabul, Afghanistan.
   • Women in Afghanistan under the Taliban government are denied their basic human rights and have little to no freedom.
   • The restrictions and denial of rights under the Taliban government have lasted for the past five years.
   • Students are using clandestine facilities and online platforms to continue learning in defiance of the regime.
   • Teenage girls issued handwritten letters to the world to voice their struggle and plead for international attention.

   What to watch next

   • International responses to the secret letters issued by the Kabul students
   • Potential security crackdowns on underground educational facilities by the Taliban administration
   Sources used for this update (10)

   1. heavy.com — Sports - Heavy.com
   2. www.hindustantimes.com — SEARCH NEWS
   3. fromtheheartproductions.com — Roy W. Dean Grant Winners - From the Heart Productions Inc
   4. www.yahoo.com — Mahmood to reopen scheme to resettle refugees in the UK
   5. beniciapaw.com — Afghan Girls Gain Access to a Secret School and Share Their ...
   6. en.wikipedia.org — Hulk - Wikipedia
   7. timesofindia.indiatimes.com — In 2017, four artists paid $95,000 to save Nina Simone's deteriorating childhood home in North Carolina; ....
   8. www.zyzzyva.org — Index of Published Works – ZYZZYVA
   9. www.wesanews.org — From Kabul to Pittsburgh: Book profiles women who fled the Taliban | 90.5 WESA
   10. www.unesco.org — The UNESCO Silk Roads Programme | UNESCO
   confidence 100%
6. 50d ago

   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
   Sources used for this update (7)

   1. CBS News — Afghan girls who study in secret want you to read their "letters to the world"
   2. NBC News — ‘I’m going to fight’: How Afghan girls are defying the Taliban to learn online
   3. KabulNow — Afghanistan’s Kandahar Schools Begin New Academic Year Facing Teacher Shortages
   4. Yahoo — Under Taliban control, Afghan girls write "letters to the world" from their secret school
   5. unmissions.org — Literacy: improving lives, building prosperity in Afghanistan
   6. www.wwaytv3.com — We visited a secret Afghan girls school. They surprised us with handwritten “letters to the world.”
   7. kabulnow.com — ‘Don’t You See Afghanistan?’ Afghan Girls Send Desperate Letters to the World
   confidence 90%