Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I want to tell the story of one of my constituents, Erfanullah Abidi. Erfan and his wife, Manizha, their three young sons—Mowahid, Tawhid and Zahid—and his parents were on the last Australian flight out of Kabul airport at the fall of Kabul. In his words, their lives changed irreversibly on 15 August 2021 when the republican government of Afghanistan unexpectedly collapsed, plunging their once-normal existence into the depths of chaos and uncertainty. As an interpreter and cultural advisor, he had already found himself on the hate list of insurgent groups owing to his role in supporting the Afghan government. However, the abrupt fall of Kabul to the Taliban while he was on duty with an NGO marked a harrowing turning point. Overnight, he was thrust into a desperate struggle for survival, navigating a city under siege and constantly moving from one place to the other as Taliban forces combed the neighbourhoods in search of perceived enemies.

In the midst of this turmoil, he and his family clung to a fragile thread of hope through their ongoing visa applications. The process was agonisingly slow, complicated further by the escalating crisis in their precarious circumstances. They persevered, reaching out to authorities and international organisations, desperate for any means of escape from the tightening grip of the Taliban. Erfan tells the story of days of sleepless vigilance and hunger at Kabul airport, literally standing and unable to move, holding their children above their heads so they didn't stop breathing in the crush. They finally managed to board an emergency evacuation flight and arrived in Adelaide on 1 September 2021.

Landing in a foreign land as refugees, they were thrust into a daunting reality: starting anew from scratch in a country vastly different from their own. The shock and trauma weighed heavily on them all, exacerbated by the constant anxiety over the fate of loved ones left behind in Afghanistan, including Erfan's only brother and his family—still in grave danger under Taliban rule. My office and the minister here today assisted Erfan's family to reunite: his brother, sister-in-law and their children arrived in Adelaide some months ago. Despite being safe, Erfan has continued to be an advocate for those still in Afghanistan. The plight of Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule emerged as a critical focus for his advocacy efforts. Despite global outrage and campaigns like the hashtag #LetAfghanGirlsLearn, the Taliban 's repressive policies persist, including the closure of schools and restrictions on women's freedoms.

Through clandestine meetings with local elders, former civil activists, educators and concerned friends, Erfan and his colleagues devised a daring plan to establish underground schools for girls. These covert educational initiatives aimed not only to defy Taliban edicts but also to instil hope and resilience in a generation of Afghan girls who risked losing their future to oppression. The first school opened with just 20 brave students in February 2022. Encouraged by overwhelming community support and donations, they expanded rapidly, and today they operate 15 such schools, providing education to over 300 girls. The curriculum blends traditional subjects with crucial lessons in civil and human rights, equipping these young girls with not just the knowledge but the tools to challenge injustice and build a better future. Each school operates under a strict security protocol, crafted in collaboration with parents and community leaders, ensuring the safety of both students and teachers amid the ever-present threat of Taliban reprisal. As Erfan says, these schools have become more than just places of learning; they are sanctuaries of hope and empowerment. This community-driven effort ensures that every girl who walks through the doors knows she is not forgotten and that her education and empowerment matter deeply to a global community that refuses to turn away.

Beyond the classroom, the impact reverberates through Afghan communities, where students armed with new-found knowledge and confidence become ambassadors for change. They teach their peers and families, multiplying the reach of the mission far beyond each student. In a country where hope is a scarce commodity, these girls are beacons of resilience, defying the darkness of oppression with each lesson learned and shared. For anyone who would like to support the Afghan schools for girls, donations can be made to Circle of Friends Australia Incorporated—select Empowerment Network 132.

I would like to finish by congratulating Erfan and Manizha on the birth of their new daughter, Nahid, two months ago, and also on a book, The Afghan Interpreter, and a film about his story.

House adjourned at 17:00

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( M r s Andrew s ) took the chair at 09:30.

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