The internet is a powerful tool. With the push of a button a person has the capacity to reach millions of people in just seconds. Yes literally seconds. In fact, the average uploading time on a single image that is 10 megabytes can travel as fast as 9 kilobytes per second. Meaning, it literally takes less than a second for an image to be uploaded and shared to a user’s 1000+ Instagram followers. All images reach us, but how many of them actually reach us? One viral image not only made it across the world in a matter of minutes by being shared, but it struck a chord in us deep in our hearts. It shed light on a way of life most of us will never understand or even get to witness in person.
Jahan Taab is 22. She lives in Daikundi, Afghanistan. She was recently photographed taking a university exam while sitting down. What is so special about this one might ask? She went viral because the photograph shows Taab holding her son, calming him as he cries, while sitting on the floor finishing her exam. After being shared so many times of course Twitter users went nuts. The photo struck a chord in many as they realized the circumstances some of the women of Afghanistan are currently facing. What is even more astounding, is how they seem to persevere anyways. Many users claimed they were extremely humbled, as others said they felt inspired. Some of the many hashtags included #fighttolearn and #thecourageouswomenofafghanistan. But let’s talk about how important this photo really is. Â
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Jahan Taab lives in a rural area known as Oshto. A place where men are still thought of as a more dominant gender. Men are the more common attendees of universities in Afghanistan as women still continue to fight for their rights. Taab traveled approximately six and a half hours in order to take the exam, as I mentioned there is no public transportation. The exam she was taking, is called the Kankor exam. It is the entrance exam required for the social science curriculum at Nasirkhosraw Higher Education Institute. During the exam, Taab’s two month-old baby began crying. Surrounded by 150 of her classmates, the young mother simply picked up her test, sat on the floor, and then began to soothe her child while finishing the remainder of her exam. Her peers and teacher were in awe as they recognized her determination and will to finish the test. To Taab however, she was simply finishing her exam. She didn’t even realize what she had ignited in those around her and she certainly had no idea that the image her teacher had secretly snapped, would win her admirers from all around the world.
For years now Afghani women have struggled with their rights to an education. Many Afghani girls and women who wish to go to school, live in poverty and are insecure about the decision to go to school due to family values and beliefs. According to www.hrw.org, two thirds of girls in Afghanistan don’t attend school. In areas controlled by the Taliban, women’s rights to education are extremely limited and women are often faced with difficult circumstances that make getting to school harder. Some of those circumstances include the actual traveling distance it takes for them to reach a school. As I mentioned early societal issues are also a large factor in whether or not young women are able to attend schools. Many Afghanistan families believe women should not be taught by male teachers. This important human rights issue has been recognized around the globe and several worldwide organizations are working to address it so more women like Jahan Taab can actually make it into a classroom.
Despite receiving help from the outside, women still have a tough time finding their way and staying in the educational system.
Once they make it past the societal pressures they often face other challenges that we so clearly see in the photo of Taab. Women still have the responsibility of maintaining the household, and finding proper child care so that one may study is not an option. However, no matter how many issues they come across, these brave women dream big and talk of their goals as realities they have yet to come across. Taab says she wants to become a doctor, so she can support her children and continue to set an example for them by pushing past limitations and reaching new heights in her life. Oh, and by the way she passed the exam!