“This is actually a decisive moment for a lot of women in Afghanistan,” says Aisha Khurram, 22-year-old Kabul University student and a 2019 Afghan Youth Representative to the UN. Khurram is one of many female students in Afghanistan whose academic dreams look to be cut short after the country fell to the Taliban. As the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul on August 15, university lecturers gathered their female students for some final goodbyes. Women’s rights in Afghanistan have been the subject of debate and conflict for more than a century, with efforts to improve their status followed by moves to roll them back. As the country prepares to enter yet another era ruled by the Taliban, rights advocates fear a return to the darkest days of the past. “Right now, the young generation is trying to demonstrate that we are the reality, the new reality of Afghanistan that is connected with the world, that progressed a lot since 2001,” says Khurram. “And they are trying to make sure that those progresses the younger generation of Afghanistan made would not be reversed under Taliban's regime.” As of 2019, over 9 million children were enrolled in schools, 39% of them girls. The last decade or so has seen the first cohorts of female medical students in modern-day Afghanistan graduate, the establishment of an Afghan all-girls robotics team, and more women enrolling at universities. With more women and girls in enrolled in schools, literacy rates have soared. Khurram remains hopeful but vigilant - She wants to see if the Taliban will be able to peacefully coexist with the new values Afghanistan has seen. “This is actually a decisive moment for a lot of women in Afghanistan, especially the young girls who did not experience Taliban's regime in 1990s, and those women who are hoping to continue their education, to continue their presence in the society," says Khurram. “They are trying right now to make sure their voices are heard and that Taliban would accommodate them in any future government and respect their rights in freedom.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake