Zahra Joya: The voice of the women silenced by the Taliban

By Rosie Leishman*

The Taliban has introduced laws further restricting women's rights in Afghanistan, but an Afghan journalist in exile says they don't feel new.

And she hopes New Zealand will do more.

Three years on from the US withdrawal in Afghanistan and the Taliban's return to rule, journalist Zahra Joya said the new law banning women from raising their voices in public "doesn't feel new".

Under the Taliban women in public must also be covered from head to toe and most cover their faces, leaving only their eyes visible. There were also restrictions for behaviour in their own homes.

"It is a serious time for the international community and those who believe in human rights, women's rights, any of those basic values," Joya said.

The worsening situation made the 32-year-old more determined to tell the stories of her countrywomen, through the journalism platform she runs from her London home.

Named in honour of a 19-year-old Afghan woman who was stoned to death in 2015 for choosing to leave a forced marriage, Rukhshana Media was created to highlight the untold stories and issues faced by the women of Afghanistan.

Nine reporters, the majority of them female, risk their lives in Afghanistan to tell the world about what is happening in their homeland - from violent killings and forced marriages to stories of bravery and hope.

"It's so difficult to be a journalist in Afghanistan, let alone a female journalist," Joya said.

"It's my mission in this crucial time to be the voice of those who have been forced to be silent."

Dressed as a boy to get an education

When the Taliban first took over in 1996, Joya was five years old. She would walk two hours to and from school each day dressed as a boy and calling herself 'Mohammed' just to get an education.

She dreamt of being a lawyer, growing up with her father as a prosecutor.

While studying law in Kabul, Joya saw what was happening to women in the bigger city and decided that despite the risks of the job she needed to be a journalist to share their untold stories.

But in Afghanistan, she was never equal with any of her male colleagues. Despite her experience she was defined as a "female journalist" and was paid less and treated with less respect.

So in 2020 she launched Rukhshana. Which started from hope in "the middle of chaos".

"It was a difficult, but joyful moment for me."

Self-funded and paying fellow female journalists from her savings, Rukhshana brought Joya anxiety and stress, knowing the safety risks for female journalists.

"Although I am so far from what I planned for my future, Rukhshana is my baby, my passion," she said.

Forced to flee

On 26 August 2021, Joya was forced to flee her home alongside three of her siblings, leaving her parents behind.

"Mum is always saying she doesn't know what happened to her life... she went from having all her children to losing us in one morning."

Now Joya, her siblings and her five-year-old niece live in London.

"This beautiful city gives me a sense of home, which is something I lost... It is difficult being far from home but I have so much freedom, especially around my gender.

"My siblings are free, they can be educated and live their lives. It is a great privilege compared to back home."

Since fleeing, Joya operates Rukhshana from her laptop and phone in her London flat and remains in close contact with colleagues in Afghanistan.

"Their safety and that risk they're taking, lives with me," Joya said.

With little funding, running the platform was financially unsustainable, but the work must be done, she said.

Her family and friends worry over her devotion to work, she said.

Her mother once told her "one person cannot carry two watermelons in one hand".

"I have to look after myself... Sometimes I feel it's too much but when the situation is getting worse, there is no other solution but to keep going."

Joya was named one of Time's 12 Women of the Year in 2022 and received the Change Maker Award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation the same year.

But the international recognition left Joya feeling conflicted.

"It was so joyful and I am so grateful for that but equally it's heartbreaking when I see back home so many girls wishing they had the freedom I did."

More New Zealand could do

Red Cross New Zealand reported more than 1500 people from Afghanistan have arrived in New Zealand the country on temporary or emergency visas since July 2021.

However, Joya hoped Aotearoa would do more.

"The Taliban are doing crimes against humanity and not enough is being reported, there is no pressure on the Taliban to be held accountable or any action from international bodies."

Solidarity, education and pressure on the Taliban from government leaders were ways New Zealand could help, she said.

"We have to stand up against the Taliban... half of the population is being ignored."

"It's very difficult to be hopeful," Joya said.

"Afghan women have lost everything, including their hopes."

But Joya said hope was vital.

*Rosie Leishman is a student journalist from the University of Canterbury currently on exchange at the Danish School for Media and Journalism in Aarhus, Denmark.