The disappearing daughters of Afghanistan

euronews.com:

For the past 20 years, women had played a crucial role in building a new Afghanistan. They were members of the judiciary, public sector workers and artists who believed there was no limit in what they could achieve. 

Many say that all changed when the Taliban returned to power last August. 

For most teenage girls in Afghanistan, it has been one year since they set foot in a classroom. And there's no sign of when or if they will be allowed back.

“My goal was to become Afghanistan’s President one day, or Vice-President," one woman told Euronews international correspondent Anelise Borges. 

Save the Children interviewed nearly 1,700 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 17 in seven provinces to assess the impact of the education restrictions.

The survey, conducted in May and June, found that more than 45 percent of girls are not going to school, compared with 20 percent of boys. It also found that 26 percent of girls are showing signs of depression, compared with 16percent of boys.

Nearly the entire population of Afghanistan was thrown into poverty and millions were left unable to feed their families when the world cut off financing in response to the Taliban takeover.

Teachers, parents and experts all warn that the country's multiple crises are proving especially damaging to girls. The Taliban has restricted women’s work, encouraged them to stay at home and issued dresscodes.

Hundreds of female members of the Afghan judiciary say they are now targets. They're hunted by those they once helped convict - many were members of the Taliban and have now been freed by the group.

“It was my duty," one woman, who worked in the industry, told Borges.

"According to Afghanistan law, they are criminals, according to Afghanistan law, I process