Sources from Afghan female students in Bangladesh indicate that following the escalation of political developments and chaos in the country, hundreds of Afghan female students are concerned about their security situation and face an uncertain future.
At least three Afghan female students in Bangladesh stated today (Tuesday, August 7) in an interview with the media outlet Goharshad that around 600 Afghan female students are currently in Bangladesh and are experiencing poor mental health due to the political turmoil in the country.
The source mentioned that most of these girls went to Bangladesh on scholarships offered by the country to continue their education at the Asian University for Women.
One student said that since the start of student protests in Bangladesh on July 13, hundreds of Afghan female students have not been allowed to leave their dormitories and are worried about their safety.
This student stated: “They are not allowed to leave the dormitory. The security, mental health, and psychological condition of Afghan female students are not good at all. Even the female students have not been permitted by the university to speak to the media or express their opinions on social media.”
Another female student mentioned that these students have not been able to communicate with their families for several days due to internet outages, but they managed to regain internet access since yesterday.
The source expressed concern, emphasizing that there is no diplomatic entity available to address the challenges faced by these students.
The source added: “These girls cannot return to Afghanistan either, as they are worried that the caretaker government will prevent their return.”
According to the source, those students whose countries have embassies in Bangladesh have spoken with government officials of that country and have been warned about ensuring the safety of students; however, Afghan girls have no one to check on them.
This comes as Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, resigned and left the country yesterday after weeks of student protests that escalated into deadly nationwide unrest.
Ms. Hasina fled to India by helicopter after her residence in Dhaka was attacked by protesters.
Additionally, two days ago, over 90 people, including at least dozens of police officers, were killed in clashes in Bangladesh.
The unrest began last month with calls to abolish quotas in government jobs and has since turned into a campaign of civil disobedience. According to reports, at least 300 people have lost their lives during the recent month of protests.
