These women had to flee Afghanistan. They're trying to keep the world's attention on the crisis there

The documentary An Unfinished Journey follows three politicians and a journalist reinventing themselves as they continue the fight for a free and just Afghanistan.

The documentary An Unfinished Journey follows three politicians and a journalist in exile

CBC · Posted: Oct 16, 2024 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 16

Three women sit on a grassy green hill with trees in the background — Now living in Canada, Homaira Ayubi, Nargis Nehan and Nilofar Moradi continue to fight for freedom and women’s rights in Afghanistan. (HitPlay Productions)

Forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, four women leaders are trying to keep the world's attention on the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. At the same time, they're adjusting to having their power taken away from them.

From their countries of exile, these women — former parliamentarians, a past minister and a journalist — have watched as two decades of progress have been dismantled. The Taliban has stripped women and girls of the right to an education and to work and participate in society. No longer in positions of influence, the women have had to reinvent themselves as they continue the fight for a free and just Afghanistan.

Zefnoon Safi

Exiled in Greece, Zefnoon Safi is mourning the loss of her 20-year political career, something she risked her life to build. A former MP in the province of Laghman, a Taliban stronghold, Safi prevailed over the group's most radical leaders and a deeply patriarchal community to win the support of constituents.

She is grateful to have escaped with her husband and five of their children, but two of her daughters and their families remain trapped in Afghanistan.

'An Unfinished Journey' celebrates North American premiere at Hot Docs

Two women sit at a table. One holds a cell phone. — Safi, left, speaks to her family in Afghanistan. (HitPlay Productions)

Homaira Ayubi

A well-known and respected member of the Afghan parliament, Homaira Ayubi served four terms and chaired the government's anti-corruption caucus. She was the target of suicide bomb attacks due to her public denunciations of "mafia and millionaires" within government.

Before becoming a politician, Ayubi was a math teacher who took her school underground during the Taliban's first rule. Now — having left behind her family home, staff and status — she shares a small apartment with her husband, two adult sons and daughter-in-law.

3 woman stand outside, 2 are holding umbrellas. Ayubi, in the middle, holds a sign that says "We are still fighting" — Ayubi, centre, attends a Toronto protest against school closures in Afghanistan. (HitPlay Productions)

Nilofar Moradi

Nilofar Moradi was just six when the Taliban last held power in Afghanistan — she has no memory of its brutal regime. As a television journalist, she openly criticized the group during its long war against Western forces. When the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021, she was forced into hiding.

In Canada, Moradi has sought out other exiled Afghan journalists and advocates. Together they've joined demonstrations and international forums to centre Afghan women's rights in the public and political discourse. She is determined to continue her journalism career in Canada.

A still of a TV news report. A woman holds a script and looks directly at the camera. — Moradi was a journalist in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover in 2021. (HitPlay Productions)

Nargis Nehan

As a minister, Nargis Nehan worked closely with Afghanistan's former president, Ashraf Ghani, holding many different posts in his government.

When the Taliban took over Kabul, Nehan considered staying in the country. Like many women leaders, she had hoped to be able to work with the new regime, but she quickly realized it viewed her as an enemy and she could do more to help her country in exile. But after months of meetings from her base in Toronto, Nehan was dismayed by the lack of political will to pressure the Taliban to restore women's rights.

As the world has turned its attention toward new crises, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, she is seeing her goal to rebuild Afghanistan slip further and further away.

A woman wearing glasses holds her hands in front of her mouth. She is holding a blue pen. Her face is reflected in a pane of glass behind her. — Nehan speaks to an activist in Afghanistan on Skype. (HitPlay Productions)

Watch An Unfinished Journey on CBC Gem and the CBC Docs YouTube channel.