Three Afghan women – Zahra Joya, founder of Rukhshana Media, Tamanna Paryani, a women’s rights activist, and Fatima Amiri, one of the survivors of the Kaaj education center bombing – have made it to the BBC’s top 100 inspiring and influential women for 2022.
Others on the 2022 list include Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, actress Priyanka Chopra and singer Billie Eilish, as well as athletes, political reformers, and social workers.
“This is the 10th season of 100 Women, so we are taking the opportunity to explore what progress has been made over the last decade,” BBC writes. “While there have been huge steps forward for women’s rights – from the number of female leaders to the MeToo movement – for women in many corners of the world it still feels like there is a long way to go.”
The list also puts a spotlight on the role of women in conflict zones around the world.
The founder of this publication, Zahra Joya, is one of these women.
“I believe in the soft power of words and we must speak about injustices against women,” Joya told the BBC.
Tamana Paryani was arrested by the Taliban a few days after participating in protests demanding her right to education and work. She was in Taliban’s custody for almost a month. She now lives as a refugee in Germany.
Before her arrest, Ms. Peryani published a video on social media that showed the Taliban forces were trying to break the door to enter her house in Kabul.
“Twenty years of women’s achievements have been taken away from them,” she told the BBC.
Fatima Amiri is one of the survivors of the suicide attack on Kaaj educational center. She lost one of her eyes and her ear was seriously damaged during the explosion.
Despite her severe injuries, Amiri went on to sit the national entrance examination and got 313 marks to enter the Faculty of Computer Science of Kabul University. She says the attack has only made her feel more determined.
Every year, in a series of its programs, the BBC publishes a list of one hundred influential and inspiring women whose work raises the profile of women and furthers the cause of human and women’s rights.
