The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

'Don't lose hope': Afghan robotics team speak from Mexico

2021-10-09T01:43:23.188Z


The Mexican government has authorized Afghan teenagers, all 17 or 18 years old, to stay for at least six months, with the option of extending their stay.


Afghanistan robotics team speaks after their escape 3:35

Mexico City (CNN) -

Just four years ago, Afghanistan's half-dozen teenagers confidently entered the competition, waving their country's flag.

The Global Robotics Competition, held in the US in 2017, was an opportunity for the team to show the world what many in their own country doubted: that girls can achieve anything.

  • Virtually the only job Afghan women can have in Kabul's government is cleaning toilets, says acting mayor

And they did it, winning an award for "brave achievement" given to teams that persevere in difficult circumstances.

Although they did not rank among the best teams in the world in the overall score, they left with pride and, more importantly, with global recognition.

Mexico offers refuge to 5 Afghan women 1:54

It was that recognition that helped girls escape Afghanistan a few months ago, when the Taliban re-emerged.

The Taliban, known for banning girls from school and working the last time they controlled Afghanistan, resurfaced across the country this summer, tearing down city after city - a terrifying change for progressive and educated girls like those on the robotics team. .

"The Taliban were taking over neighboring villages and provinces, so we decided to leave Afghanistan," said Kawsar Roshan, one of the team members.

"At that time, our families would not even allow us to leave the house for any reason, not even to go to classes."

advertising

With the help of various humanitarian groups around the world, five of the original team members were able to flee Afghanistan.

They left with an older relative as guardian and made the difficult journey from the western Afghan city of Herat to the capital Kabul, leaving their homes in July.

There, they managed to land one of the last commercial flights from Kabul to Islamabad, Pakistan.

It was in Pakistan that a plan began to form that eventually led them to a country thousands of miles away: Mexico.

With the help of private funds from various humanitarian aid groups, they headed from Pakistan to Doha, Qatar, where after an invitation from the Mexican government, the group boarded a commercial flight, with a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany, before landing in Ciudad from Mexico.

The Mexican government has authorized adolescent girls, all 17 or 18 years old, to stay for at least six months, with the option of extending their stay.

Martha Delgado, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Mexican Foreign Ministry, welcomed the young Afghan women from the robotics team with a walk on September 19, 2021 in Mexico City.

Some members of the team spoke to CNN in a hotel conference room, preferring not to speak from where they are staying in the city for security reasons.

Fittingly, some of the first thoughts they shared were about their home, criticizing the cruelty of the Taliban regime.

"His way of ruling is just a mockery, an insult to Islam," said Fatemah Qaderyan, an original member of the team.

"Islam is the religion of goodness. We kindly request not only the United States but the entire community, but the entire international community to eradicate the Taliban generation from Afghanistan."

They know that the United States has limited options in that regard after its withdrawal in August.

They also know how lucky they were to get out.

"It was very difficult, you know, leaving our loved ones in Afghanistan," said Saghar Salehi, another member of the team.

"But we are happy that today we are safe not only for ourselves, but here we can be the voice of thousands of girls who want to be safe in Afghanistan and who want to continue their education and can make their dreams come true."

  • Afghan women turn to social media in traditional attire days after pro-Taliban demonstration

That is a diminishing reality for girls in that country.

In the weeks and months after the Taliban took office, their actions have reaffirmed a return to a society in which women are treated as totally unequal compared to men.

The group has ordered that secondary schools open only to boys, claiming that girls need a "safe transportation system" before returning.

In some cases, militants have ordered women to leave their workplaces, and when a group of women protested the announcement of the all-male government in Kabul, Taliban fighters beat them with whips and sticks.

Still, the team has a message for those left behind.

"My message to my generation is please don't lose hope," Roshan said.

"I know it is difficult because I am also an Afghan girl, and I understand you completely. But please don't lose heart, there is always light in the dark and make your dream come true and follow your dream and trust that one day your dream it will come true, because I went through it. "

Despite the challenging circumstances of the past few months, each of the young women is looking to the future and hopes to go to college next year somewhere in the United States.

Unsurprisingly, each of them will pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

In the long term, they all said they hope to one day return to an Afghanistan free of the Taliban and the repression they represent.

Taliban

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-10-09

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.