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Inside a secret school for girls in Afghanistan

As the Taliban takes away one freedom after another for Afghanistan’s women, one teacher continues to teach despite a ban on girls attending school after Grade 6.

The Taliban has cracked down on the rights of women and girls in the country since seizing power in 2021

CBC News ·
A teacher stands in front of a classroom of girls wearing winter jackets. Her face is blurred.
A woman, identified only as Sahar for her safety, teaches a group of girls in a secret high school in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo credit witheld)
Nothing is Foreign28:19Inside a secret school for girls in Afghanistan

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there has been a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of women in the country.

Despite initially promising that a woman's right to study and work would be preserved, the Taliban has enacted policies that virtually ban women from public life. Girls are not allowed to continue their education beyond Grade 6. 

Afghan women have pushed back on the restrictions, and this week on Nothing is Foreign, we hear one woman's story of resistance. Sahar, whose last name we are not disclosing for her safety, teaches at a secret school for girls in Grades 7-12 in Kabul. 

Featuring:

  • Obaidullah Baheer, lecturer at American University of Afghanistan.

Nothing is Foreign, a podcast from CBC News and CBC Podcasts, is a weekly trip to where the story is unfolding. It's hosted by Tamara Khandaker.

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