We often hear about Afghan women. We don’t often hear from them. Here, Malalai Joya, who at 25 years old was the youngest woman ever elected to the Afghan parliament, passionately reveals the complexity of contemporary Afghan politics through her own extraordinary experience.

In her first address to the parliament, she denounced many of her fellow parliamentarians for crimes against humanity committed throughout the jihadi and Taliban eras. Many perpetrators of atrocities (from rape to torture to mutilation and massacres) now sit in parliament. Joya believes that without justice for these war crimes, the country will always be unsafe and corrupt. She was suspended from parliament, has received many death threats and travels with bodyguards, but she continues to speak of her hope that the trauma Afghans live with will be acknowledged, and that the men who authorised and committed these crimes will meet justice.

Her bravery is breathtaking and inspirational. She is proud of her country and her history, but she is unafraid to highlight its black spots of despair and violence. Joya has raised her voice: the least we can do is listen.

Pip Newling volunteers for Mahboba’s Promise, an Australian-Afghan organisation that assists destitute widows and orphans in Afghanistan. Find out more at