In hiding, an Afghan woman set alight by the Taliban is forced to wait to join her brother in Brisbane

Huma and her family had their Australian visa applications lodged 12 months ago by her brother, but now fear being forced back to Afghanistan. Photograph: Supplied

The burns that wrap around Huma’s body are barely visible in her modest Afghan dress. But they serve as a constant reminder of the Taliban’s cruelty.

Huma* was working at the attorney general’s office in Kunduz province, north of Kabul, in 2019 when she says her advocacy for domestic violence victims made her the target of religious extremists.