Want to Swap Babies?
Nargis Taraki was the fifth born to proud parents of all
girls. In Afghanistan this is not always seen as optimal. Boys are usually more
valued in this society. After her birth, Nargis’s mother was confronted by a
relative giving her two options to “improve” her family. This relative offered
her husband another wife, which was not uncommon within Afghan culture, to increase
the opportunity of having a baby boy. Nargis’s mother immediately refused. Then
this relative offered to swap newborn Nargis with another family’s newborn baby
boy in their village. Swapping babies isn’t common in Afghan culture though and
it is still unknown how these relatives came up with this plan. This idea was
also quickly dismissed.
Nargis’s father was also approached by elders in the community,
but he was determined to prove that his daughters were capable of anything that
a son was capable of. Being surrounded by traditional, military friends and acquaintances,
he struggled during that time. Nargis
stated, “Although there was pressure on my parents to swap me because I was a
girl, it was a man who had the most positive impact on my character.”
The Taliban eventually took over their town and Nargis’s
entire family fled to Pakistan. There her parents had a boy, which she
described as “the best thing that has happened” to them. When they moved back,
Nargis still wanted to continue her education even though her again
conservative community responded negatively.
Today, Nargis is determined to promote equal education for
women worldwide. Although her initial attempts to open an all- girl school in Afghanistan
have been deterred by violence, she is set on opening multiple schools for girls in the country one day. Nargis’s extraordinary efforts has made her an inspiration
for girls across the world.
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