This continuing exclusive series of interviews with female journalists from Afghanistan shows that these women face not only significant challenges in their workplaces but also in their personal lives. They struggle with issues such as unemployment, severe security threats, forced marriages, and the general suppression of their basic rights. These women are fighting not only for their fundamental rights but also for survival. In fact, they are fighting to stay alive.

In this section, Latitudes interviews one of these female journalists who is currently living in Pakistan. She had to flee Afghanistan following a number of threats, especially the threat of being forced into marriage with a Taliban member aged over 60. In this interview, she reveals more about the struggles that girls in Afghanistan are facing.

Starting a journalism career

Wahida Soleiman (a pseudonym) was one of the behind-the-scenes journalists at a television station in Afghanistan, where she worked for two years. She is 24 years old and single and lived with her mother, older brother, and their families in Afghanistan until two years ago. She now resides in Islamabad, Pakistan, with her mother and three nieces all of them girls. Wahida completed her university education in law and political science and also trained for one and a half years in journalism. She was in the process of completing her master’s degree in international relations when the Afghanistan government fell, and the Taliban took over, preventing her from receiving her master’s degree.

From 2016 to 2018, Wahida worked as a journalist in the news department at a TV station in Mazar-e-Sharif. During this time, she was also involved in various social and cultural activities and was dedicated to promoting the rights of Afghanistan women and girls. She says: « Journalism in Afghanistan, especially in the remote provinces, is not easy. But my primary goal was to raise awareness among women and girls about their rights and freedoms. »

« I faced many threats and negative societal attitudes, but my family always supported me. »

Wahida recalls how she began her career in journalism before the Taliban seized power: « I entered this profession with the support and encouragement of my family. Nonetheless, I also faced many threats and negative societal attitudes, but my family always supported me. »

However, her professional life drastically changed after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. She explains: « When the Taliban took power, life for women, especially journalists, became hell. Working in a democratic environment and then under the rule of the harsh Taliban law is entirely different. The Taliban have taken away the fundamental freedoms of the people, and this made life very dangerous for us. »

Wahida talks about her part-time work with government, and also her studies, and the threats she faced after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan: « I was repeatedly threatened by the Taliban to stop my journalistic work. These threats made me decide to leave the country, but that is not the only reason. » She adds that emigrating from Afghanistan, especially to Pakistan, was not an easy task, but she and her family eventually managed to flee the country.

The reason for fleeing Afghanistan

Wahida identifies forced marriage as another significant reason for her fleeing Afghanistan. She explains that before the fall of the government, she was working in a government department. But after the Taliban took control, she spent a period of time at home.

In 2022, when she received a phone call to go to the office and receive her salary, the problem started. She said: « When I went to my workplace with my brother to receive my salary, they deceitfully asked me to marry one of the Taliban fighters. That moment is something I will never forget. The Taliban man threatened my brother and me that if I refused, they would kill us all. »

« After hearing his request, my brother and I were shocked. I cried under my chadari, trembling with fear. I couldn’t say anything. »

Wahida explains how, even though she was wearing a chadari and her body was covered, she was terrified by the man’s cruel and threatening behavior. « After hearing his request, my brother and I were shocked. I cried under my chadari, trembling with fear. I couldn’t say anything. After a few seconds of silence, my brother calmly told him that I was engaged and that it was against Sharia law to marry a woman who was already betrothed or promised to someone else. My brother tried to speak to him about Islam, but the Taliban man interrupted, saying they already knew about Sharia and didn’t need an explanation. At that moment, his phone rang, and my brother and I quickly ran out of the office, heading straight home. »

Wahida and her three nieces, who are teenage girls, fled Kabul and eventually reached Islamabad to escape the forced marriage threats from the Taliban. However, life in Pakistan is also very difficult. They continue to live in fear and anxiety and wish to leave for another country.

Challenges of living in Pakistan

After fleeing Afghanistan, Wahida arrived in Pakistan. However, life in Pakistan was no easier for her and her family. She says: « Living in Pakistan still comes with many challenges. The economic and social conditions for refugees from Afghanistan are difficult, and there are ongoing security threats. Still, life in Pakistan is somewhat better than in Afghanistan. But we are always worried about the possibility of being forcibly deported. »

« Life in Pakistan is far from easy. Especially for Afghan women. »

Wahida talks about her concerns in Pakistan: « We are constantly worried that one day we will be forced to leave here. Life in Pakistan is far from easy. Especially for Afghan women who are searching for security and their rights, life here is challenging. »

« The first and biggest challenge for us as female journalists is access to information. »

As a female journalist in Afghanistan, Wahida faced many challenges. She says: « The first and biggest challenge for us as female journalists is access to information and the ability to work freely. Under the current conditions in Afghanistan, it is difficult for women to be in public places. We are forced to wear specific clothing like the burqa or chador, and we face constant threats of violence. Now women are not allowed to talk in the public, so what does it mean to you? It means staying at home! The Taliban strictly control the media, and any news coverage that contradicts their policies is met with suppression or even the arrest of journalists. »

Request for international help

Wahida, who has been living in Pakistan for over a year, calls on the international community and European countries to pay special attention to the challenges faced by refugees in Pakistan. She says: « We are living in extremely difficult conditions. From a security, social, and economic perspective, we are facing serious risks. These problems include a lack of access to basic rights, the absence of proper economic opportunities, security threats, and difficult living conditions. »

She concludes: « I am a girl from Afghanistan living under these harsh conditions. My only hope is to find a better life in the future. I hope the international community will pay attention to our problems and help us to start a new life. »