In August 2021, the fall of the
Islamic democratic Government in Afghanistan marked
a major turning point with the regaining of power by Taliban (so
called militant and extremist group). The Taliban announced a complete ban
on girls’
education, and schools have remained closed indefinitely, depriving
more than 1.4 million girls of their basic education rights. Women are not
allowed to work in the offices or government jobs except health care
workers, nurses and doctors. This was a fear even before the
takeover of the Taliban and it has become a harsh reality after international
forces ended their mission in Afghanistan.
A humanitarian
corridor was established in August 2021, by the United
States (U.S) and its major allies in NATO to
allow safe passage for eligible Afghan
refugees to leave the country. Driven by the fear of persecution by
the Taliban and the knowledge that they would no longer be allowed to go back
to work, Afghan women activists, female
football players, parliamentarians, paralegals and
female judges were evacuated from Afghanistan using this corridor. After
immigration and getting refuge in other countries, Afghan families, girls and
women have begun a new chapter filled with challenges and obstacles. Resettling
in Western countries is not easy, and newly arrived Afghan families must
navigate a range of difficulties as they attempt to start a new life. One of
the compelling reasons that Afghan women left their country and sought refuge
in Western
countries was to pursue better educational opportunities but most of
them stranded to achieve their dreams.
The barriers towards equal access
to higher
education are multifaceted with one of the main barriers being the
complex and often loan-based education system in those countries which are
difficult to navigate for newcomers. Accessing higher education may be
challenging for families newly immigrated to the Western countries struggling
with the socio-economic
barriers. Afghan refugees with low education level and language
barriers may not be able to find a good employment which further limit
their abilities to spend money on the education. Due to financial constraints,
Afghan girls and women may face challenges to access higher education as they
prioritize the basic survival. Afghan girls and women must contribute
financially to a household and education may not be prioritized.
Language
barrier is one of the significant challenges that refugee face when
immigrating to a new country. This may result in delays in resettlement and
adjustment in a new society and thus limit access to information. The education
system in the Western countries is usually very different and, and new
immigrants find it difficult to navigate. Language barriers faced by among
Afghan girls and women making it difficult for them to integrate in the new
education system and to achieve academic success. Afghan immigrant women may
not be able to access available education resources and existing support system
for their children because of language barriers, which may result in early drop
out from educational institutions.
Decades of war and conflict in
Afghanistan has a deep psychological effect on the emotional well-being of
Afghans which can interfere with academic excellence. Afghan girls and women
have been living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) condition which can
affect cognition, concentration, anxiety and depression and in turn impact
their learning and academic achievements. This situation is even worse for
Afghan refugees seeking asylum
seekers, due to the fear and anxiety of deportation and uncertainty which
may further impact their ability to realize their dreams of getting higher
education.
With the immigration to Western
countries, the gender
inequality and differences may remain within Afghan families. Access
to higher education is not prioritized and primary role of women is seen within
their houses and affecting their educational aspiration. Families with
conservative and relatively strict cultural backgrounds remain connected with
the belief that girls must remain at home and therefore, may not be allowed to
access higher education. Girls and women face resistance and are under pressure
to go along with the cultural
traditions and family
values limiting them to aspire their dreams to access higher
education. Afghan families experience significant acculturation
gap which means the adaption ability of the parents and children in
the culture of the host communities. Afghan immigrant women find it challenging
to remain connected with their cultural values of their homeland and liberal
values of the Western culture. Cultural expectations may result in no support
from families to their daughters to access education in the Western context.
In recent years, funding cuts and
policy changes in the US have
sharply reduce the resources available for immigrant
settlement and support and these shifts disproportionately affect
Afghan women who newly arrived. Several resettlement agencies have lost large
portions of their federal grants, forced staff layoffs and curbed crucial
programs such rental
assistance, transportation
support, interpretation
services and language
training. For Afghan women, these cuts translate into steep obstacles,
difficulties in obtaining legal status delay eligibility for many higher
education’s supports, lack of affordable language classes make academic
integration more challenging and with fewer resettlement staff and services,
meeting basic needs often takes precedence over pursuing long-term goals like
pursuing higher education. As the gap in educational opportunity widens, and
the promise of resettlement becomes harder to fulfill for these women.
The question still lingers, have Afghan immigrant women truly able to fulfill their dreams of higher education, dreams that led them to leave behind their homeland and everything they once called home? And as immigration restrictions grow tighter in countries like the U.S and Canada, one must also wonder whether the road ahead will bring greater opportunity or even greater barriers for those newly immigrated women.
References:
Salley
E. (2024) "Reaching Actualisation
After Resettlement: A Qualitative Analysis of Afghan Refugees in the U.S. ", Peace
Human Rights Governance, 8(1), 103-132. DOI: 10.14658/PUPJ-PHRG-2024-1-5
Soltan, H., Giguere, B., &
Safdar, S. (2023a). Acculturation gaps among Afghan refugee families in Canada:
Implications for family relationships, adaptation outcomes, and subjective
wellbeing of emerging adults. International Journal of Intercultural
Relations, 97, 101877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101877
Stempel, C., & Alemi, Q.
(2018). Economic integration of Afghan refugees in the US, 1980-2015. WIDER
Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.35188/unu-wider/2018/491-9
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