Fariba's Death; Afghan Girl's Despair Over Educational Restrictions

KABUL – Kabul Times News: The Associated Press has uncovered the suicide of a 16-year-old Afghan girl named Fariba, who wrote in her suicide note: "It's too hard to be a girl in Afghanistan."

According to the report, Fariba continued to go to school every day after the Taliban banned girls from education beyond the sixth grade, hoping that one day she would be allowed to study again. But according to her mother, she returned home every day with despair and sadness and gradually fell into severe depression.

Fariba's mother, who asked not to be named due to security concerns, told The Associated Press: "She was so broken that we could no longer recognize her. She spent months in this state until one night, while everyone was asleep, she ended her life."

The Associated Press writes in this report that Fariba's death is not just an individual event, but also a symbol of the psychological and social pressures that many Afghan girls and women have faced since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

The report states that after regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban stopped girls' education in secondary schools and universities and imposed extensive restrictions on women's presence and activities in society. The Taliban justify these measures based on their interpretation of Islamic law and say that they are reviewing the necessary conditions for reopening girls' schools, but have not yet announced a specific time for this action.

The Associated Press also warns, citing experts, that continuing educational and social restrictions will have widespread effects on Afghanistan's mental health, economy and future, in addition to human rights consequences. According to these experts, these policies risk increasing early marriages, maternal mortality and reducing economic opportunities.

This report is being published at a time when international organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to lift restrictions on women's education and rights, but so far no tangible change has been observed in these policies.