Appeal made to Carney after endorsement for special immigration program proves futile
"They make you feel that it is a mistake to be a woman in Afghanistan."
Those are the words of a young woman in Kabul describing life in the Afghan capital five years after the chaotic exit of U.S.-led NATO troops made way for the return of Taliban rule in August 2021.
Since then, under the fundamentalist dictates of the self-declared Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, roughly 22 million women and girls have witnessed what rights they did enjoy stripped away.
"It started with a ban on schools, then going to markets, going to travel, then jobs, universities," said the woman. "[It feels] like you have to get permission to breathe even."
To protect her from any potential repercussions from this interview or for her previous work for Canadian-funded projects in Afghanistan, I will refer to her as X.
Over the past five years, the Taliban have issued dozens of edicts aimed at suppressing women.
They are forbidden from being outside without a male guardian, from holding most jobs and studying beyond primary school. They're not allowed to visit parks or playgrounds or gyms or salons or even raise their voices in public.
In 2022, the NDP's immigration critic at the time, MP Jenny Kwan, alleged that the government had lost 2,900 SIMs applications.
There is also anecdotal evidence of others having their applications disappear into a bureaucratic black hole.
*Click image or link to read the full news story - https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/afghan-woman-immigration-plea-to-canada-9.7338709
