The Afghan women making Athens their new home

I've never been to Afghanistan, nor do I speak Dari or Pashto, the country's two official languages. So when I actually find myself on a rainy January morning in Athens at a centre for women Afghan refugees and migrants, the question I ask myself, even if just for a moment, is: what am I doing here?

I had pitched the story a few weeks before. I had read an article about how the Greek capital had unexpectedly become a hub for Afghan women and their families forced to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban's sudden return to power in August 2021.

Most of the women were reported to be judges, lawyers, journalists or civil right activists. Different aid programmes had helped with their evacuation and continue to cover their housing and basic needs in Athens.

Together with our fixer Eleni Korovila, I contacted the Melissa Network, one of several local centres that help Afghan women and their families. In addition to being a place for the women to meet, Melissa - meaning "Beehive" in Greek - also offers a range of support services, including legal advice, tuition, councelling and community networking.

As soon as I arrive, I'm taken into a living room with some pastry and mandarines on a huge table. Different women are eager to share with me their stories of loss. Loss of family and friends. Loss of jobs, wages, independence and self-esteem. All were forced into hiding. All still remain in shock. I spend the day listening to them.

Hasina, a former judge, tells me about how the Taliban released the same criminals she had sentenced and put in jail.

She explains to me that they were now looking for revenge. "I could not go outdoors", she tells me. "They could kill me, or my children, or kidnap them."

Homa Ahmadi, a former member of