Afghan Women in Europe Drive Change Back Home

The Educational Exodus Following the Kabul Takeover

According to Shaharzad Akbar, executive director of Rawadari, an Afghan human rights organization, the resulting restrictions have triggered a mass exodus of educated and professional women from Afghanistan. In 2025, they lodged nearly 64,000 first-time asylum applications and another 6,207 in Switzerland.

Personal Costs and the Reality of Exile in Europe

For individuals like Maryam—who’s in her mid-20s, sipping an iced matcha outside a library in the Swiss city of Aarau—starting over requires navigating an asylum center while coping with the separation from her husband and parents, who are still in Kabul.

Navigating Asylum Hurdles and Deportation Pressures

The journey to stability in Europe is rarely straightforward. Violence drove Sitara from Afghanistan. She flew to the country of Georgia with her sister and continued to Greece. Over the past five years, Europe’s political debate has shifted away from resettlement and toward returns.

Building Networks and Preserving Independence Through Study

Despite administrative hurdles and the trauma of displacement, young Afghan women in Europe view academic credentials as an essential responsibility toward those left behind. Mursal, an Afghan student at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, arrived in Glasgow in August 2021 after a series of violent attacks persuaded her father that Afghanistan was not safe for his daughters. Emphasizing that personal independence prevents external control, she balances the adaptation to a new academic environment with the persistent emotional weight of attacks on schools back home, utilizing her platform to advocate for the future of Afghan girls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Afghan women seeking asylum in Europe in high numbers?

According to human rights organizations, the Taliban has stripped women and girls of their rights and dignity, leading to a mass exodus of educated and professional women following the Taliban’s rise to power.

Which European countries have taken in Afghan refugees?

In 2025, they lodged nearly 64,000 first-time asylum applications and another 6,207 in Switzerland, while countries like Denmark and the Netherlands grant asylum simply for being a woman from Afghanistan.

Can Afghan women still attend school inside Afghanistan?

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