Kabu, Afghanistan: An Afghan girl, Alia, flees marriage pressure by taking a taxi from Daykundi to Kabul after the Taliban’s school ban left her with few options.
Alia, 19, told the BBC she travelled with a female cousin last year. She said she gave her family a false reason for the trip because she feared they would make her marry.
The journey carried risk. Taliban rules bar women from long-distance road travel without a close male relative, according to a 2021 order reported by AFP and Al Jazeera.
Alia enrolled in a private English course after reaching Kabul. She said her parents once supported her dream of becoming a pilot, but now view marriage as her main option.
The Taliban barred girls from secondary education after returning to power in 2021. UNICEF said in April 2026 that one million girls had lost access to learning since the ban began.
Read: Afghan Girls Education Ban Fuels Forced Marriage Fears
UNICEF also warned that more than two million girls could lose education beyond primary school by 2030 if the ban continues.
In west Kabul, Shama told the BBC she married at 18 after losing her chance to study. Her younger sister Nora said she now fears the same future.
