Editor’s Note: On August 20, 2021, She’s the First posted on social media about the dire consequences of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, specifically on girls’ and women’s rights. Read the post here.
We asked girls serving as our Youth Ambassadors for their thoughts on the crisis. Below is a full transcript of their submissions:
“If we allow girls to be mistreated anywhere, we’ve failed girls everywhere. We are only as strong as our weakest link and in this chain of progression, we’ll struggle to move forward if we’re constantly tied back. Standing up for our Afghanistani sisters helps us understand the privilege of freedom and why we should aim to keep ourselves educated on any threat to gender-based equality. If they hurt one of us, they can potentially hurt all of us. Educate yourself to be an informed advocate.” - Shriya Boppana, 22, U.S., Youth Ambassador
“The world must not look away. We must listen to the voices of our Afghan sisters and ensure that their education and future is not stripped away. All girls worldwide deserve to be educated, heard, and respected no matter what the circumstances are.” - Yatee Kapoor, 16, U.S, Youth Ambassador
“In this moment of crisis, we cannot forget the group so often forgotten and mistreated in humanitarian disasters: women and girls. The women of Afghanistan have forged their freedom, and we have a responsibility to keep that progress from imploding. They may seem far away, caught in hopeless strife, but wherever you live, there are ways to support Afghani women. If you have spare funds, donate them to emergency funds. If your city has volunteer programs, donate your time. But most of all, make your voice heard; informed advocacy is instrumental to fighting for the rights of women and girls everywhere.” - Annie Brown, 16, U.S., Youth Ambassador
“We cannot let this crisis in Afghanistan go unnoticed. No matter who you are or where you live, it is your job to do something. Girls are having their rights stripped away, and if we choose to look away, we are going against everything we stand for. So, do what you can to help. Donate. Educate yourself and others. Volunteer when you can and continue to fight for girls rights’ everywhere because when even one girl is under attack, we all are.” - Hannah Beechler, 15, U.S., Youth Ambassador
“We must not turn a blind eye to the crisis in Afghanistan, because before anything else we are daughters, we are sisters, we are girls, and we are women. It is our duty to stick up for one another in times of crisis, whether it be through donations, through local volunteer programs by our cities to help Afghan refugees resettle, or by simply making efforts to educate ourselves on how Afghan girls are impacted. We all must do something. No act is too small, and no act of service goes unnoticed. Our girls need you; we need each other, because if one of us is hurting, all of us are hurting. Make the effort to advocate for the Afghan girls today and in the future.” - Rene Kukua Essel, 15, Ghana, Youth Ambassador