Afghan Teen Refugee Nila Ibrahimi Urges Gen Z to Remember Silenced Girls

When Nila Ibrahimi began developing a website to narrate the experiences of Afghan girls, her intention extended beyond merely providing them a voice. The 17-year-old Afghan refugee was also committed to demonstrating to her fellow Generation Z members in her adopted nation, Canada, their shared commonalities, including their enjoyment of Taylor Swift, much like other adolescent girls globally. She conveyed to the BBC, “I want to make them as real as possible so that other people, especially young people, Gen Z specifically, can put themselves in their shoes.” Nila conversed with the BBC earlier this week, prior to accepting the International Children’s Peace Prize, an honor previously bestowed upon education activist Malala Yousafzai and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Nila’s undertaking is, arguably, not straightforward. The challenging circumstances of women and girls in Afghanistan can appear remote to young individuals residing in Canada, where Nila established her home after fleeing her native country when the Taliban assumed power three years ago. During that period, the Taliban have prohibited teenage girls from receiving education, banned women from undertaking long-distance travel without a male chaperone, and recently mandated them to lower their voices in public, effectively silencing half of the population. The Taliban had previously defended these directives to the BBC, stating they conform with religious texts. Nila acknowledges, “The differences [between Afghanistan and Canada] are vast, so it makes it hard for them to feel connected.” This is why she assisted in establishing HerStory, a platform where she and others facilitate the sharing of narratives from Afghan women and girls, articulated in their own words, both within and outside the country. “So many times we are lost in the differences that we don’t see the similarities and that’s our goal, to show that to the world.” Nila Ibrahimi was chosen from 165 nominees as the 20th recipient of the distinguished award. The accolade acknowledges not only her contributions to HerStory but also her fervent commitment to advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Nila’s initial act of advocacy for women’s rights occurred in March 2021, when she joined other young Afghan girls in disseminating an online video of herself singing. This constituted a modest yet impactful protest against a decree by the then-director of education in Kabul, the Afghan capital, who attempted to forbid girls over 12 from singing publicly. The proposed order was never implemented. Nila, a member of a group named Sound of Afghanistan, explains, “That was when I really understood the importance of performing, the importance of speaking up and talking about these issues.” However, less than six months later, everything would transform, compelling her, at 14 years old, to escape with her family upon the Taliban’s arrival. Her family, who are part of Afghanistan’s Hazara minority, undertook the arduous journey to Pakistan, where they resided for a year before being granted asylum in Canada. She describes it as a “breath of fresh air” after 12 months without access to education. In Canada, Nila was reunited with her friends from the singing group. She also received invitations to speak at events about her experiences in Afghanistan, enabling her to champion the cause of all girls who remained there. She notes that people expressed surprise at her eloquence. Nevertheless, Nila recognized that millions of women and girls in Afghanistan possessed comparable capabilities, despite having fewer opportunities than she did. “So I thought if my potential can surprise these people and they don’t know about how educated girls from Afghanistan can be, what if that information was accessible to them?” HerStory, the website that emerged from this concept, launched in 2023. It features interviews and first-person accounts from both refugees and women residing within Afghanistan. The aim is to establish a secure environment where individuals who “grew up with the stories of the first period of Taliban and how horrible the lives of women were at the time” can share their experiences, along with their “shock and anger” regarding their current, increasingly similar circumstances. Nila endeavors to keep this anger separate from her work. She states, “When you see Afghanistan going back in time in 20 years, of course it makes you fear.” “It’s a shared feeling. It’s a shared experience for girls anywhere.” She views the award as an opportunity for Afghan girls to once again remind the global community about the daily restrictions they encounter, serving as a reminder “not to forget Afghan girls”. Marc Dullaert, the founder of the KidsRights Foundation, which administers the award, highlighted that a “staggering” number of young women are currently being excluded from education. He further commented, “Nila’s inspirational work to provide them with a voice that will be heard across the world makes her a truly worthy winner of this year’s 20th International Peace Prize.” Nila expresses hope that this also serves as an affirmation that her generation, despite its youth, possesses the capacity to effect change. She remarks, “I think so many times when we talk about issues and different causes, we talk about it with the very adult like approach of oh, this is very serious,” adding, “The world is a very scary place, but there is an approach that is more Gen Z-like… and we can take little steps and… do whatever we can.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.