00:00 To Afghanistan next, where the Taliban continues to impose restrictions on girls' education.
00:05 Curbs have also been placed on women in the workplace.
00:08 Now, the Taliban did promise on several occasions to reopen schools for girls in high school,
00:13 but pushed back that decision due to a disagreement on uniforms.
00:17 We can now bring in Fatima Hosseini, an artist, photographer, and activist based here in Paris.
00:23 Great to have you on the program.
00:25 Now, you used to teach at Kabul University and you fled the city five days after the Taliban takeover.
00:31 Did you know in your gut how things were going to go once the Taliban came to power?
00:36 I mean, of course, since President Biden in April 2021 announced the US troops withdrawal,
00:42 we were all, I mean, worried about the situation that if Taliban back to power,
00:47 what is going to happen in Afghanistan?
00:49 And of course, given the dark experience of women and the people of Afghanistan from Taliban,
00:56 I mean, we all knew that like what is going to happen in Afghanistan.
01:01 But I mean, we never expected that Taliban took over Afghanistan in the middle of August.
01:08 And at least it was some scenarios that maybe something happened in 9/11,
01:12 that's in which was in September, but not in August.
01:17 But of course, we all knew that if Taliban come back to power, what is waiting for us.
01:23 And you used to teach at Kabul University.
01:26 Many of those students, I assume, are still in Afghanistan, in Kabul.
01:31 They're not allowed to go to university.
01:32 So are you in touch with some of your former students?
01:36 Of course, I am in touch with them.
01:37 And it is very tough situation, especially for women and my girls students in Afghanistan.
01:44 And as you know, like because I used to study photography at art faculty in Kabul University.
01:50 So right now there is no even art faculty inside the country and inside Kabul University.
01:56 So I mean, they're all in kind of problems and I am still in touch with them.
02:00 And I try to have some mentorship classes and some online stuff for them.
02:06 But it is also complicated because they have electricity problem, Internet problems.
02:11 But I mean, the situation for all girls and women is quite very, very tough inside the country.
02:16 But Fatima, when when people go to university,
02:19 when women girls would go to high school and university before, the aim was to one day get a job.
02:25 Right. Exactly. Now, what is the aim?
02:27 What is the point when it seems that the Taliban has wants to take away the right for women to live
02:34 and want to do things and educate themselves and grow?
02:38 I mean, of course, because even they just eradicated the very basic rights from women inside the country.
02:45 Like we don't even have this capacity and this,
02:51 I mean, this space to even think about the job or the future of women of Afghanistan.
02:56 I mean, imagine like the little girls cannot go back to school.
02:59 The women and today is Eid in Afghanistan.
03:02 I just heard in something in the morning about some friends inside the country that even the Taliban just banned some of the women to go out and to just celebrate Eid together.
03:13 Imagine like and it's not a Western kind of something.
03:17 It's Eid for Muslims inside the country if they have some issues with this non-Muslim celebrations or something.
03:23 But I mean, the situation is quite very tough.
03:27 And we just like lost a very basic rights and like not jobs.
03:34 And of course, in the schools and education is the first thing we have to think about.
03:37 And the thing is, families, parents are so desperate because obviously mothers are not working, fathers losing their jobs.
03:47 They have kids. Some instances, very young girls are being sold to older gentlemen just because the family needs to make money.
03:56 I mean, do you hear such stories? Of course, I heard these stories.
04:00 I mean, and I had also like so many more sad stories that as you know, there is no more local journalists inside Afghanistan.
04:09 And also like now they are also putting some other restrictions on foreigners and some international journalists.
04:16 Even some of them are still in the Taliban prison and there are many restrictions for them as well.
04:22 So there are like huge and massive of this tragedy that have never covered even.
04:29 I mean, the situation is even worse than whatever you are hearing.
04:33 I saw a report on the BBC.
04:35 I think it was at the end of last year where parents were slipping their kids sedatives because they didn't have food to feed them.
04:42 I mean, it's just it seems that things are going from bad to worse and the Taliban doesn't seem to care.
04:47 Of course, they don't seem to care because whatever they needed to have for.
04:53 I mean, already they have it and there are so many other donations coming to Afghanistan.
04:58 But as they don't have any other way to transfer this big helps, all these things go back to Taliban's hands.
05:07 And I mean, they secure their life and their family's life, but they don't care about the life of all women of Afghanistan.
05:17 Let's hope things change. I hope so.
05:20 Fatima Asini, we're going to have to leave it. Thank you very much for joining us on the program.
