RASC News Agency: Several schoolgirls in Herat have disclosed that following the Taliban’s closure of schools, they have been grappling with severe mental health issues, with some even contemplating suicide. These girls lament that the closure of schools has extinguished their dreams and aspirations. Asma, one of the affected students, shared that after nearly a year of battling depression, she attempted suicide, but was saved by her family just in time. Asma, who had graduated with a flawless 100% score, had aspired to top the university entrance exams, but the closure of schools obliterated her ambitions.
Sources at Herat Regional Hospital report that the majority of mental health patients in the province are women and girls. According to these sources, the hospital receives up to 50 patients daily seeking treatment for psychological disorders or depression, arising from deprivation, poverty, unemployment, and enforced isolation. Additionally, many of these students, who regard education as their most fundamental human and Islamic right, state that their young shoulders cannot bear the heavy burden of being denied schooling.
Fatima, who was about to start seventh grade when the Taliban arrived and shut the doors of education to her and over a million other girls, expressed her deep desire to continue her studies. “I was in the sixth grade when the schools were closed. My father lost his job, and my mother, who worked at an organization, was also laid off shortly after. My father was forced to migrate to Iran to work as a laborer. My mental health deteriorated severely, and I attempted suicide. Even a psychiatrist couldn’t help me,” she recounted.
Meanwhile, another Herat resident remarked, “The future is uncertain. The weak economy, poverty, and unemployment over the past three years have led me to develop severe mental health issues, and I’ve even resorted to taking sedatives.” Another resident added, “Regrettably, the current situation in Afghanistan, particularly for women, has caused widespread depression. When we visit clinics, the mental health department is one of the most overcrowded.”
For three years, the Taliban have kept schools closed to girls above the sixth grade. Simultaneously, all educational centers for women and girls have been shut down, and women have been barred from working in both government and non-governmental institutions by the Taliban.
