This week on the Joe and Sherin Podcast, we sit down with the incredible Latifa Jawadi, an Afghan lawyer and human rights advocate whose life changed overnight when the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021. Latifa shares her journey from working as a lawyer and anti-corruption investigator in the Afghan government, to fleeing the country for Ireland with nothing but the clothes on her back — leaving her young son behind in the chaos. She opens up about hiding from the Taliban, the terrifying scramble to Kabul airport, two days sleeping on the floor of a military transport plane, and finally rebuilding her life in Ireland. We talk about her brother's imprisonment by the Taliban, her sister's incredible work running an underground online school for Afghan girls, and what it means to find safety, community, and a new home in Ireland. A powerful, honest, and moving conversation you won't want to miss. 🇦🇫🇮🇪

Timecodes:

00:00 – Intro & episode banter
02:56 – Meet Latifa Jawadi: lawyer, activist, guest
04:52 – Growing up in Afghanistan & Iran
05:47 – Studying law in Kabul & becoming a lawyer
06:38 – Working for the Vice President's office
07:39 – Fighting corruption in the Afghan government
08:56 – Being a woman in a traditional society
11:10 – The day the Taliban took Kabul
14:18 – Escaping the office, abandoning the government car
15:17 – Hiding from the Taliban for a week
16:05 – Sending her young son to safety
17:20 – Forced marriage & the reality for women under Taliban rule
19:19 – Getting the offer of an Irish visa
21:10 – The hardest decision: leaving her son behind
23:20 – The explosion at Kabul airport
25:26 – Two days on the floor of a US military plane
27:03 – Arriving in Qatar with no shoes
27:40 – Landing in Ireland, September 2021
28:32 – Reunited with her son Benjamin
29:21 – Life as an immigrant in Iran vs. Ireland
31:07 – Learning English & starting over
32:07 – Volunteering with Transparency International Ireland
32:42 – Her brother's arrest by the Taliban
35:11 – Finding out he's alive
37:14 – Her sister's secret online school for Afghan girls
39:26 – Will she ever go back to Afghanistan?
40:13 – Women protesting in the streets of Kabul
43:22 – Understanding Taliban culture vs. Islam
48:08 – Reflections on culture, borders & humanity
50:07 – Wrap-up & thanks to Latifa