The story of Reha and the other women who fled from Afghanistan

The Wom presents “Storie dall’Afghanistan” (Stories from Afghanistan), written by Afghan women who have found refuge in Italy. The series was produced in cooperation with Cospe, a no-profit association that promote rights and social justice in 25 countries around the world.

The report is a collection of eye-witness accounts of the crisis in Afghanistan. Dramatic, moving stories that could be told by many other women who have fled to Italy from Afghanistan, survivors who have escaped Taliban persecution but are living far away from their families, their loved ones, their rights as women, the free life and better future that should have been theirs.

The first stories posted on The Wom are by Reha Nawin, who escaped from the Taliban and reached Italy in August last year. Born in Kabul 37 years ago, she studied sociology at the capital’s state university. Today she lives in Florence with her husband and two daughters. The story of her life is, in part, the story of all those women who on 26 August did not manage to get into the airport and remained in Afghanistan.

«We had to wait two nights outside the airport before we could get in,» says Reha. «The Taliban would not give us permission to enter. There were so many people who wanted to escape. You saw such desperation in people’s faces, fear of the Taliban and sadness at leaving the country in such dramatic circumstances. Our Italian friends managed to help us and saved our lives».

«Giving a voice to Reha Nawin and the other young Afghan women is one of the ways we have chosen to raise the awareness of our readers, but also of our employees, about the importance of respect for human rights, and women’s rights in particular, and the need to make a tangible commitment to ensuring that diversity and inclusion are truly a constant of our being part of the Mondadori Group,» observes Mondadori Group Chief Diversity Officer Francesca Rigolio. 

The editorial project “Storie dall’Afghanistan” supports Cospe’s “Emergenza Afghanistan” campaign.

Find out more: The life, escape and hopes of Reha Nawin, an activist who fled from the Taliban