A year ago, she drank battery acid to escape life under the Taliban. Today, she has a message for other Afghan girls

CNN " data-fave-thumbnails="{«big»: { «uri»: «https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/arzo-makeup-1-20240629011058506.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill» }, «small»: { «uri»: «https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/arzo-makeup-1-20240629011058506.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill» } }" data-vr-video=«false» data-show-html="" data-byline-html="" data-check-event-based-preview="" data-is-vertical-video-embed=«false» data-network-id="" data-publish-date=«2024-06-29T16:00:17.685Z» data-video-section=«tv» data-canonical-url=«https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/29/tv/video/afghan-girls-taliban-despair-anna-coren-pkg» data-branding-key=«amanpour» data-video-slug=«afghan-girls-taliban-despair-anna-coren-pkg» data-first-publish-slug=«afghan-girls-taliban-despair-anna-coren-pkg» data-video-tags="" data-details=""> Video Ad Feedback Oppressed to death: Life under Taliban rule 05:48 — Source: CNN

Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website. For support outside of the US, a worldwide directory of resources and international hotlines is provided by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide.

Holding a mirror steady in one hand, Arzo carefully applies pencil to her brows as she gets ready for an English lesson a short walk from her home on the outskirts of Pakistani megacity Karachi.

Every step toward the classroom takes her closer to a future she no longer thought possible almost a year ago when she walked downstairs at her family’s home in