When the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital Kabul two years ago, Nasiba Barakzai hurriedly started burning her beloved books fearing the extremist Islamist group would kill her.
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"I had shelves full of books. They gave me positive energy but I had to burn them and hide some of them because it was dangerous to keep," she told AAP.
Ms Barakzai, 25, was studying for her masters in law wanting to specialise in human rights, but that path was cut short.
"I spent all of my life in Afghanistan and suddenly I lost everything, even my friends and my family," she said.
Since the Taliban re-emerged it has erased women from public life, banning them from schools and universities.
There are 28 million people in Afghanistan who need urgent humanitarian assistance, including more than three million children under the age of five who are malnourished and hundreds of thousands still stranded wanting to escape.
Ms Barakzai and her family managed to secure humanitarian visas, but it took several months to reach Australia.
She and her family fled Taliban-controlled areas and trekked on foot across the border to Pakistan before being flown to Sydney in November 2021.
Two years on, Ms Barakzai laments the burning of her books as a necessary safety measure.
"Whoever I am today is because of these books. They were my knowledge and my identity," she said.
"They were an important part of my life."
"They were like my family members."
The Australian government has allocated 26,500 dedicated visa places for Afghans under the offshore humanitarian program for the next three years.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government remained committed to helping the Afghan people.
But the National Refugee-led Advisory and Advocacy Group insists Australia needs to do more.
"Significant delays in the processing of family reunification and temporary protection applications is putting more lives at risk every day," chair Shabnam Safa said.
"Two years on from one of the most catastrophic diplomatic failures of our time, the people of Afghanistan continue to pay the highest price trapped under a terrorist regime."
Afghans who helped or worked with coalition militaries during the conflict live in fear of being executed as traitors.
The fear of the Taliban is ever present with Ms Barakzai's sister constantly changing locations to avoid the group.
"We are now in Australia but all our thinking is in Afghanistan because my sister isn't in a good situation," she said.
"Life is very hard over there for women - no work, no jobs, no school, they have to stay just inside," she said.
She is grateful Australia has provided with her "a second chance" and is studying at TAFE and wanting to continue tertiary education.
"It's my dream to become a human rights lawyer again over here," she said.
"I want to support all women, especially women in Afghanistan because they are still in danger.
"I want to be voice for them in the future."
Australian Associated Press
