One of the most important moral questions of our time is what the world can do to help Afghan women in their struggle for freedom. Women and girls in Afghanistan live under the harshest system of oppression and are being erased from society. They are deprived of their right to education, work, and even freedom of movement. In this talk, Dr. Habibyar situates the present crisis within a longer and often overlooked history of Afghan women’s achievements and struggles, highlighting remarkable women whose contributions remain little known to the world. He then argues that it is possible for the world to support Afghan women in their struggle for freedom and presents practical steps the world can take to stand by them.

Dr Tariq Habibyar is an author, educator, and entrepreneur. He works across research, storytelling, and advocacy for children whose futures depend on being seen and heard. He is based in California.
As a teenager in the 1990s in Afghanistan, Tariq taught English, literacy, and numeracy to girls and young women in secret at a time when their right to learn had been taken from them. He was young, the risk was real, and the belief that drove him has never left; Education, books, and pens belong to all children in the world.