R, Survivor Statement (via her mother)

Child's Name: R - 

Age: 8 years old

Place of Birth: Kapisa, Afghanistan

Current Place of Residence: Badakhshan Province

Ethnicity: Tajik

Father's Occupation:

Officer of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and collaborator with the NATO Training Mission

Mother's Occupation: Persian Language Teacher

Date of Sexual Assault: April 15, 2026

Date of Attempted Murder of the Child: April 25, 2026

In the Name of God, Statement and Advocacy of a Grieving Mother from the Depths of the Tragedy in Afghanistan

I am a mother; a teacher of Persian language and literature, and the wife of a former Afghan National Army officer who served for years within the framework of the NATO training mission. Following the fall of the Republic, due to my husband’s military background and the severe life-threatening risks we faced, all our efforts to evacuate the country with the assistance of foreign advisors reached a dead end. To save our lives, we were forced to abandon our birthplace, Kapisa province, and secretly seek refuge in Badakhshan province so my husband's identity would not be compromised.

In Badakhshan, out of absolute desperation to make ends meet, my husband took up work in labor in construction. Yet, the terror never left us. In 2023, numerous military colleagues of my husband were identified and executed by the Taliban across Panjshir, Kapisa, Parwan, Takhar, and Baghlan provinces. The shadow of death and fear weighed so heavily on our lives that in 2024, my husband was forced to flee the country for Iran. He currently works as a laborer there for meager wages to send us a basic livelihood. Meanwhile, I wash clothes and clean houses in Badakhshan to feed my six children (three daughters and three sons).

Due to its rich gold and lapis lazuli mines, Badakhshan province has been heavily overrun by Taliban forces, particularly from Kandahar and Helmand. The control of these mines is entirely in their hands; even a number of Taliban Pashtun lobbyists living in Europe and the United States share in the profits of these mines and amass vast fortunes, while the impoverished indigenous population, especially the Tajiks, are left desperate for a single loaf of dry bread.

Consequent to the extensive and unchecked movement of various Taliban factions in this province, on April 15, 2026 the most catastrophic event of our lives occurred. My youngest 8-year-old daughter, **name withheld**, while playing innocently with other children in front of our house, was forced into a vehicle, abducted by a member of the Taliban. These brutal and criminal individuals took my innocent, blameless little girl to their security outpost and repeatedly subjected her to sexual assault.

After a day and night of frantic searching and weeping, I finally managed to locate my daughter's critical, semi-conscious body through the mediation and intervention of local tribal elders and white-beards. I immediately rushed her to a local clinic for medical treatment. While we were still in severe shock from this tragedy, the very Taliban member who had assaulted my daughter entered the clinic with a hideous and terrifying stance. With utter shamelessness, he turned to me and said: "You have no right to complain! If you utter a word, I will kill every member of your family. This was a mistake by one of our soldiers, and you must forgive him!" This was said by someone who had personally assaulted my little girl. In addition to threatening me, he severely intimidated the clinic staff.

After receiving preliminary medication, we returned home. There, one of the compassionate doctors at the clinic helped us arrange transfer for my daughter to Kabul for better physical and psychological treatment. Through this doctor's network, we were introduced to your relief team to cover her medical expenses.

However, before I could move my daughter, the same Taliban came to our doorstep again. Speaking in a menacing tone, they stated they had heard of our plans to travel to Kabul and threatened us once more. Fearing for our lives, we departed at midnight.

 

Unfortunately, along the way, our vehicle was intercepted by the Taliban. The same brutal, criminal Taliban member violently dragged my daughter and me out of the car. He struck my head and shoulders forcefully with the butt of his rifle, and then dealt several heavy blows with the rifle butt to the head of my small, fragile daughter. The impact was so severe that my daughter’s skull fractured, causing profuse bleeding. As a result of my screams and cries, we were taken to a clinic along the route. When the doctors at that clinic assessed my child's condition, they told the Taliban that the child had passed away. Upon hearing this, the Taliban left the area in celebration.

Following their departure, the doctors immediately dressed my daughter's wounds and managed to stop the bleeding after an hour. They emphasized that we must proceed to Kabul without losing a single moment. Panic-stricken, we arrived in Kabul, and my daughter is currently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The doctors state that she has fallen into a coma due to internal bleeding, but they are exerting every effort to bring her back to consciousness.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude for all the humanitarian aid and support provided by your team. I humbly beg you to pray for the recovery and the return to consciousness of my oppressed daughter.

Security Note: From the Kabul Team

Due to the extreme life-threatening risks, we have admitted the girl to the Kabul hospital under an **alias (pseudonym)**. Up to this moment, we have withheld the details regarding the Taliban assault from the hospital administration to ensure her security is not compromised. We are waiting for the child to regain consciousness, after which we will transfer her to one of our secure clinics to continue her treatment in a safe environment.