'Wen I see di boys dey go school, e dey pain'

"Every day I dey wake up wit hope say I go go back to school. Dem [di Taliban] continue to say dem go open schools. But e don reach almost two years now. I no believe dem. It breaks my heart," say 17-year-old Habiba.

She blink and bite her lip as she try hard not to cry.

Habiba and her former classmates Mahtab and Tamana dey among hundreds of thousands of teenage girls wey dem ban from going to secondary school for most of Afghanistan by di Taliban – di only kontri to take dat kain action.

One-and-a-half years since dia lives dey on standstill, dia pain still dey raw.

Di girls say dem dey fear say di para wey world pipo dey para over wetin happun to dem don dey fade, even though dem dey live wit di pain every day – e increase dis week wen di kontri begin anoda school term without dem.

"Wen I see di boys dey go school and dem dey do anytin dem want. E dey really pain me no be small. I feel very bad. Wen I see my brother dey go school, I dey feel broken," Tamana tok. Her voice dey tremble and tears dey roll down her cheeks but she continue.

"Earlier, my brother bin dey say I no go go school without you. I hug am and say you go, I go join you later.

"Pipo tell my parents you no suppose worry, you get sons. I wish we get di same rights."

Any hopes say wey dem bin get say school go reopen don jam wall wit di increasing restrictions wey di Taliban goment don impose on women.

"Small freedom bin dey for di beginning, but gradually e don change" Habiba say.

Di first restriction wey follow di secondary school ban for December 2021, wen di Taliban order say women go need male relative to follow dem if dem wan travel more dan 72km (48 miles).

For March 2022, di Taliban goment announce say secondary schools go reopen for girls, only to close dem within hours.

Less dan two months later, dem pass decree say women gatz wear clothes wey cover dem from head to toe, including face veil.

For November, dem stop women and girls from going to parks, gyms and swimming pools.

Girls bin no dey allowed to choose subjects such like economics, engineering and journalism for university.

One month later, dem deliver massive blow wen dem close universities to female students, and dem ban women from working in domestic and international NGOs except di ones for health sector.

"If dis limitations increase, I no tin say life wey worth living anymore for women. We no get access to our basic rights as human beings. Life no get meaning without education. I think death beta dan life like dis," Mahtab tok.

Mahtab bin get injury sake of one bombing for Sayed Ul-Shuhada school for May 2021, wen Taliban bin dey fight forces of di former goment for Afghanistan.

"I bin get injuries for my neck, face and foot. Dem bin dey painful. But I bin dey determined to continue studying," she tok. "I even attend my mid-term exam, but soon afta di Taliban came and everytin dey all over."

Di Taliban don say dat di schools and universities dey only temporarily closed to women and girls until dem create "suitable environment."

E show say dem get division inside di Taliban goment on di issue, but so far any efforts di one wey believe say girls suppose dey allowed to go school neva show any results.

Regarding some of di oda restrictions, di Taliban say dem impose am becos women no dey wear hijab (head covering) or following Islamic laws.

Enforcement of di Taliban rules no dey uniform across provinces, but di regulations create environment of fear and confusion.

"We dey always wear hijab. But e no make any difference. Wetin dem mean? I no understand," Tamana say.

For our time for Afghanistan before and after Taliban takeover, we never ever meet Afghan woman wey no wear hijab.

To counter di shrinking public spaces for women, Laila Basim co-found one library for women for Kabul wey we visit for November last year.

Thousands of books bin dey neatly arranged on shelves wey cover three walls of di room.

Women dey come to read books, and sometimes just to meet each other – na escape from staying indoors for dia house.

Now dem don close di library.

"Twice wen di Taliban close di library, we manage to reopen am. But di threats increase day by day. I get phone calls saying how dare I open library for women. Once dem come di library tell women say dem no get right to read books," Laila tok. "E become too risky to run am, so I take di inevitable decision to close am."

She say she go continue to find oda ways to fight di Taliban policies.

"Of course, I dey fear, but di closure of di library no be di end of di road. E get oda approaches through which we fit raise di voices of Afghan women. E dey difficult and e go require sacrifices, but we don start am and dey committed to am," she add.

For women wey be di only breadwinners for dia families, e hard to survive from day to day.

Meera (name change) na widow in her mid-forties. She bin dey work as cleaner for one girls school, dey support her family of 10. She lost her job wen di school close, and, inside di economic crisis for di kontri, she never find beta work since.

She now begs on the streets of Kabul.

"I feel like I no dey alive. People know say I no get anytin so dem dey try help me out. E beta to die dan to live life without dignity," she tok, as she cry bitteely. "If I get potatoes one day, I peel dem and cook dem. Di next day I cook di peeling to feed my family."

Even wit her struggles, Meera wish her daughters fit go school.

"If dem fit get education, dem go fit get work. One of my daughters wan to study law and anoda wan study medicine. I tell dem say I go find money for dia education, even if I have to beg for am, but dem no fit go university becos di Taliban no allow am," she add.

"E no get anytin except pain or sorrow for every house now," she tok.