6 budding female inventors from Herat in Afghanistan, have been denied access to escort their robot to an international robotics competition happening in Washington DC, US.

The team had travelled 500 miles to the American embassy in Kabul for interviews for their visas – not once, but twice, in hope that a second set of interviews might work in their favour to be granted visas to travel to the international competition, by the State Department.

Afghanistan is heavily stereotyped to be a place of oppression for Muslim women, and this makes the narrative of these 6 young women all the more important. Afghan robot maker, Fatemah, aged 14, says, “We want to show the world we can do it, we just need a chance.” Despite creating a robot that is worthy of taking to an international robotics competition, the team will remain at home and watch their new creation partake in the competition from more than 7000 miles away. FIRST Global President, Joe Sestak says he is disappointed that the “extraordinarily brave young women” from Afghanistan won’t be joining other students on the competition day.

Despite the fact that they have been denied entry to the US and consequently won’t be attending the international robotics competition, their engineering and invention skills should be heavily championed, as should their ambition, bravery, determination and enthusiasm. They have, without a doubt, added to the narrative of strong women who have actively challenged stereotypes of oppression.

Source: Forbes