From the balcony of her new apartment, Shagufa Noorzai can see the Peace tower.
It is a view of Canada鈥檚 Parliament that is both an inspiring sight and a reminder of the work ahead for the former Afghan politician, who resettled in Canada just two months ago.
Her journey has taken her from the Afghan parliament, to hiding out in a small room in Kabul, to the city known as the birthplace of democracy, and to a new home in Ottawa. Through it all, she has pledged to continue to use her voice to help the women and girls of Afghanistan, but also to help some close to her escape from the Taliban鈥檚 reach.
鈥淢y family is in a critical situation,鈥 she says.
Noorzai is from Helmand province, long considered a socially conservative region of Afghanistan. With the support of her mother and father, she was elected in 2018, one of the youngest female members of parliament.
She faced many challenges as she fought to have her voice heard, to change societal attitudes and to show that women have 鈥減ower and knowledge.鈥
She says there were some gains for women and girls. Then came a day she will never forget: the day Kabul fell, and with it, much of the hard fought achievements of more than two decades.
鈥淲e lost our home, we lost our Kabul, our beautiful city," she says with tears welling up in her eyes.
To escape the Taliban, she hid for more than 10 days in a room alone, never venturing out and not letting anyone know where she was. Eventually, the Taliban found her family, and came asking 鈥渇or the MP.鈥
She says they beat her brother with their guns and took a family car. She had hoped to stay and see what the fallout of the Taliban regime would be, but realized there was no future for her in Afghanistan and that she could not continue to raise her voice in support of women and girls if she was dead. In September, Noorzai fled to Greece, where nearly a third of Afghanistan鈥檚 female MPs found refuge. As they waited for resettlement, they worked to create a parallel parliament, a way to continue their advocacy.
Under the Taliban, the freedoms of women and girls face more restrictions with each passing day, says the United Nations. The U.K.鈥檚 ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, says that before the return of the Taliban to power: 鈥3.6 million girls were in school. A quarter of the seats in parliament were held by women. Women were 20 per cent of the workforce. And now the Taliban is seeking to strip all of that away.鈥
The setbacks have often brought frustration and tears to Noorzai. She says that as an MP, she often worked directly with those she calls 鈥渕y people,鈥 resolving disputes, finding resources. She receives calls now from many in Afghanistan asking for help, and feels powerless.
鈥淢y heart becomes full of pain. What can I do for them? I should do something, and I try. But often my hands are empty, I cannot do anything.鈥
She is hoping to change that now that she has resettled in her new home in Canada. As she walks through the streets of downtown Ottawa, she says she loves the city, calling it quiet, green and beautiful.
She speaks of her pledge to one day give back for all that Canada has given to her. She also vows to try to keep the world鈥檚 eyes on the women of Afghanistan, and to push Ottawa to speed up resettlements.
When she walked to Parliament Hill for her very first visit, she pointed to the buildings, smiled, and whispered: 鈥淚 will be here one day. This will be my office, maybe.鈥
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