Malala voices fear for ‘Afghan sisters’ as women and girls face uncertainty under Taliban rule

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has expressed concern for her “Afghan sisters” after Taliban militants took control of Afghanistan. She survived being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 for defying the militant group’s ban on girls attending school in the Swat district of her native Pakistan. Since the Taliban regained control of neighbouring Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, questions have been raised about what the figure holds for women and girls in the country. Taliban officials have made statements promising to provide women an environment in which to work and study, in contrast to harsh restrictions in place the last time the group controlled the country over 20 years ago. But reports have emerged of Afghan women being denied basic rights, such as studying, working and being able to leave their homes freely. A female news anchor said she was banned from returning to her workplace, and others fear that their aims and dreams may be shattered as schools have reportedly been forced to close.