She Disguised Herself as a Man to Survive the Taliban

Women in Afghanistan weren't allowed to work. So Nadia Ghulam spent 10 years disguised as her dead brother in order to provide for her family.

Transcript

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00:35In that moment I realized what does it mean living in war

00:39and how war can destroy people's life.

00:42But staying in hospital in Afghanistan during the war,

00:46I was not the only child to be in the hospital.

00:49Like me, there was thousands and thousands of children's wars

00:53with a lot of injuries in their body.

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01:08In that moment the Taliban regime established in Afghanistan

01:12and the Taliban regime had another rule

01:15that forbidding women to go to school or study

01:19or go outside their home or work.

01:22In that case, I had to do something for my family.

01:26My father was suffering and still he's suffering from post-traumatic stress.

01:32My brother was dead and I had to do something

01:36to provide food or something for my family.

01:40At that time I was 11 years old,

01:43so I thought I will dress up one day as a man and tomorrow change.

01:48And continuing 10 years I was a man

01:50and I was working as a man, helping my family and continuing my life as a man.

01:54There was always very, very, very close to discover my secret,

01:58but I am always saying in my life a lot of miracles are happening and it happens.

02:04In some reason and at the end they couldn't discover, but it was very close.

02:11Sometimes I think I'm the only woman of Afghanistan

02:15and I feel that I would say that men also don't have easy life in Afghanistan.

02:21Every day they are very close to die because the situation is very hard.

02:26A lot of bombs are falling down, a lot of suicide attacks

02:32and there is a street trying to find a piece of bread for their family.

02:46Maybe it's life, maybe I didn't cross with all these stories.

02:50And then I see my face in the mirror and I see all my injuries and I say,

02:54now it's you Nadia, you go up through all these problems.

02:59For a lot of people they could see my injuries, my physical injuries,

03:04but they couldn't see how I was destroyed inside, how was my life.

03:10How I go through all these difficulties inside.

03:13So this is the message I learn and I'm teaching to these girls

03:18that they are the only person that they can change their life.

03:22No one else can change their life if they don't want.