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Girls in Afghanistan have been pressured to show to synthetic intelligence for friendship after the Taliban authorities restricted their rights throughout the nation.
Lima, an 18-year-old from rural Afghanistan, mentioned she treats AI as a pal to assist her get by the times. Requested by the BBC how she spends her mornings, she mentioned: “Studying novel, or chatting with AI, often, to empty each single phrase of me – to speak, ask questions, or just deal with as a pal.
“The AI app makes a personality of your favorite idol. All of the well-known folks you already know you may discuss with them or say something you need. You possibly can ask them questions. You can provide your self a faux hope and make them your pal or household.”
The Taliban swiftly regained management of Afghanistan in 2021 after the US withdrew its final troops from the nation. Regardless of initially declaring that girls can be allowed to work and research, the Taliban authorities introduced in restrictions which have affected almost all elements of every day life for girls.
Women can not research past grade 6. Girls have been barred from finding out, together with coaching to be a midwife, and banned from working.
They can not go to salons or the gymnasium, and have to be coated head to toe and be chaperoned by a male guardian when leaving the home. They aren’t even allowed to sing, converse or pray in public.
In January, the Taliban launched a brand new rule banning home windows in residential buildings to forestall ladies from being seen whereas they’re house.
“Seeing ladies working in kitchens, in courtyards or amassing water from wells can result in obscene acts,” authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid mentioned on X.
The BBC has been interviewing a dozen ladies about their lives after three-and-a-half years of Tailban rule, and forward of Worldwide Girls’s Day on Saturday.
Zarina, a psychologist, mentioned Afghanistan “modified instantly and unexpectedly” in 2021 which had been tough for many individuals.
“The state of affairs of every lady varies relying on her understanding of her environment and the injury she has suffered – it’s not the identical for everybody,” she mentioned.
“Some have been separated from their family members, some confronted financial hardship, some misplaced their jobs, schoolgirls have been disadvantaged of schooling, and college college students have been distanced from their targets and left with unfulfilled desires.”
One other lady, Freshta, instructed the BBC she had not been on a correct outing because the Taliban took over.
“Our actions are very restricted. We principally keep on our telephones, studying books or searching info on-line,” she mentioned.
“We additionally don’t have household gatherings. I want somebody would invite us over so we might have a change of surroundings and refresh our minds.”
She added: “I bear in mind the final time we had a correct outing—only a week earlier than the Taliban authorities took over. We went to Paghman, Bamiyan, and Band-e-Amir. Now, these days really feel like a distant reminiscence, and it makes me extremely unhappy. Seeing photos and recollections from that point could be very exhausting for me.”
The Unbiased has marked Worldwide Girls’s Day by compiling a listing of the 50 most influential ladies throughout the worlds of politics, sports activities, the humanities, media, enterprise, style and activism. Click on right here to see the complete listing.
