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WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.
Afghanistan’s government, the Taliban, does not allow teenage girls to continue their education beyond Grade 6. But one teacher in the capital, Kabul, is teaching her students how to deal with tyranny — in a secret school.
Sahar, whose name CBC News is not releasing for her safety, is unlike her peers who teach girls math, science and geography. In class he studied psychology and participated in group counseling.
“I teach you some techniques on how to take control of your life,” Sahar said No One Is Stranger hosted by Tamara Khandaker.
Nothing is Stranger28:19Inside a secret school for girls in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there have been violations of women’s rights and freedoms in the country. Despite initially promising that women’s rights to study and work would be preserved, the Taliban have adopted a policy that virtually bans women from public life. Girls are not allowed to continue their education beyond Grade 6. Afghan women have overturned the ban, and this week on Nothing is Foreign, we hear stories of women’s resistance. Sahar, whose last name has not been released for her safety, teaches at a secret school for girls in Grades 7-12 in Kabul. Featuring: Obaidullah Baheer, lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan.
At university, Sahar studied educational psychology. But when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan again in 2021, his life changed. He lost his job and many of his friends fled the country or were arrested.
That’s when he discovered choice theory, part of the 1965 reality therapy model by American psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser.
Reality therapy is a form of counseling that treats behavior as a choice. The choice is an attempt to satisfy five basic human needs: survival; independence; pleasant; power; and love and belonging.
“This theory helped me to be happy again,” Sahar said. “So I think it’s a very good … positive and good way to help these girls, because we can’t change other people. We can’t change society. We can’t change what’s out there, but we can change our mindset.”
The risk of opening a secret school
There are 75 to 80 girls in Sahar’s class, all between grades 6 and 12, and every week they sit on the carpet to learn how to relax their minds.
He defied Taliban restrictions on education by discreetly attending a secret school, indoors in a supportive home environment. As a precautionary measure, the girls did not even bring any materials – not books, pens or paper.
If the government found the school, and proved that the classes were held, everyone involved would be at risk of arrest.
Despite her fear, Sahar provides guidance and emotional support to the students.
Financial burden on the family
The psychological pressure on the students is acute. Sahar said one of her students did not have enough food at home to feed her family. It caused the girl so much pain that she considered suicide.
“‘One reason I didn’t kill myself [was] if you tell me if I have any problem, I can come and share it with you,’” Sahar recalled telling her student.
Teachers encourage their students to ask questions and find alternatives. After several weeks, he noticed that the student felt better.
“They know they can’t end poverty. They can’t make bread from nowhere [can I] bring it to him… But at least [with] this technique … he can build a good relationship with his mother, with his sister, with his father.”
Food has been hard to come by in Afghanistan since the rise of the Taliban. The US and its allies have withheld funding and aid to the country, which its population has relied on for years, because of its international policy of dealing with the Taliban.
Economic sanctions are aimed at punishing the group for its treatment of women and girls, but the wider Afghan population is left facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
“Putting more sanctions on Afghanistan will only damage the country,” Sahar said.
24 million need humanitarian aid: Red Cross
In an interview with the Associated Press in November, Martin Schuepp, the top official of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said half of Afghanistan’s population – or 24 million people – needed humanitarian assistance. He added that more Afghans would struggle to survive as living conditions worsened.
Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, said Nothing is Stranger that the international community can use influence if they meet with the Taliban and build trust.
“The policies of the international community don’t care about the Afghan people who are stuck in the middle,” Baheer said of the impact of Western sanctions. “Yes, of course, they are flying money to help keep the Afghan currency and economy from collapsing, but then [the Taliban are] holding reserves worth billions of dollars.”
“The Taliban are also to blame, because their policies lead to more distance and engagement, more division,” Baheer said. “It’s just a vicious cycle.”
In the meantime, Sahar continues to hold psychology classes to help the girls overcome their difficulties, despite the fear of being found out.
“We are scared and afraid of the situation, but we live by our values,” said Sahar. “And if you live by your values, you have to accept that there will be consequences.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
This guide is from Center for Addiction and Mental Health emphasize how to talk about death with people who are worried.
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