WUNRN
Foreign
troop withdrawal has become a certainty for Afghanistan, leaving those of us
who provide essential services for girls and women anxious and uncertain.
(WOMENSENEWS)--When
the world wonders about the uncertain future for girls and women in
I think of
a resident there named
This house
is not a gleaming palace of higher education, of the type that we all imagine
someday for the girls and women of this region. But it is a refuge of the most
necessary kind. Will this type of place be allowed to continue? Will we be able
to expand on the work we've already done?
Women for
Afghan Women began our work in 2001 and now we run 22 facilities in eight
provinces across
Our latest
is this halfway house, which shelters women with extreme trauma and women
transitioning from shelters.
The rooms
are lean and breezy, and have twin or bunk beds. The ground floor holds offices
and a large Afghan-style living room with big cushions along all four walls, a
space that provides a common place for meals and meetings. All the residents
can take jobs and/or literacy or vocational courses in town, and come and go as
they please.
The women in our regular shelters have gone through every kind of human rights violation, including forced marriage, underage marriage, baad (a system when one family makes up for a crime against another family by handing over a female child), exchange marriage (a system where girls' families exchange brides in lieu of dowry payment), domestic violence, rape and forced prostitution.
Hidden Shelters
Our
shelters are in hidden locations--women cannot leave the premises because in
most cases their lives are in danger and they are with us for their own
protection.
Our new
halfway house serves women in two ways. Sometimes it offers a transitional
residence to women in the shelters whose cases have been resolved and are no
longer in danger. Sometimes it's there for women whose trauma has been
particularly extreme and who need the more spacious, calmer and quieter
environment it offers.
One of
these women is Fatima (not her real name), who six years ago got married when
she was 13 years old. The man turned out to be drug addicted and abusive. One
day he fired a hunting pistol at her. The bullet tore through her torso,
exiting from her stomach and spilling out her intestines.
From there
Fatima was referred to the Human Rights Commission who flew her to
Fatima's
brother, a former Taliban sympathizer, came with her to
When
Slow Improvements
A
colleague and I recently travelled to
It took
everything we had to listen with our strategic and problem-solving ears instead
of breaking down. What right do we have to break down when the woman who has
actually lived through the ordeal is telling her story calmly?
Our
consolation comes in thinking about our thriving programs, both in
Every one
of our facilities offers refuge to women and men whose human rights have been
violated. We assemble teams of lawyers, social workers, educators and
courageous lay people to work for the best possible outcome for each one of our
clients.
We also
work alongside other wonderful organizations such as the Afghan Midwives
Association.
After
Future Concerns
Our senior
staff in
Every
staff person I have spoken to is worried about what the future holds; whether
that will be a civil war or a Taliban take-over, or something in between. They
are all also bravely committed to continuing their work as long as humanly
possible.
Almost
everyone I spoke to told me they feel their work for women's rights is their
duty as Muslims; that it is their religious duty to uphold the rights of women
and children.
One man
there was optimistic. He said that since Afghans know the horrors of a Taliban
Afghanistan, they will never allow the country to be taken over again like
that. The keys to a strong and peaceful future, he said, are that the
international community keep their non-militaristic long-term commitments and
that schools and universities continue to be the top priority in all provinces.
The
midwives I met were also optimistic. They said that women have become strong,
smart and strategic over the past decade. They will not be quiet if abuse takes
place.
I hope
these optimists are right. Young Afghan men and women have grown up in relative
freedom and they have come to expect the right to go to school, university and
get good jobs. I only hope and pray that in the days, weeks, months and years
after 2014, when the foreign forces pull out of Kabul, that this type of
critical work can continue.
I shudder
to think of the alternative.
Sunita Viswanath is cofounder and board member of Women for Afghan Women.