I had to dress as a boy to go to school in Afghanistan in the 90s. That would never fool today’s cruel Taliban | Zahra Joya

Banned from schools, streets, universities and even working for NGOs, women and girls are now nothing more than prisoners in their homes in my home country

In the past 15 months or so, life has changed unrecognisably for Afghanistan's women and girls. Speak to secondary school pupils, their parents and education activists, and you will hear just how devastating the impact of the Taliban's school closures have been. It is hard to fathom the depth of the darkness that has emerged as a consequence of this action.

Girls are dealing with the psychological fallout of being cut off from their classmates and social networks. Many are struggling with severe depression. Since secondary schools were closed, child marriage has increased dramatically. Suicide rates among women and girls have been steadily rising since the Taliban's return to power. Women protesting against the Taliban's closure of universities in Kabul this week have been beaten and whipped.

Zahra Joya is an Afghan journalist living in London and the editor-in-chief and founder of Rukhshana Media, a news agency reporting on life for women and girls in Afghanistan

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