Zaafirah is 17 years old. She has just learned to walk again. Zaafirah’s tragedy began the day she was forced into a marriage with a man from her village in an exchange arranged by her parents. The harrowing abuse started as soon as the young girl moved in with her new husband and in-laws. Her parents would remain in the dark because Zaafirah’s husband and in-laws would ban her from visiting or communicating with her family. After months of abuse that amounted to torture, Zaafirah became so weak and her condition deteriorated to such a terrible state that her in-laws contacted her father and told him that she had been diagnosed with cancer. They asked him to come to their house to take her back, alluding that she was “damaged goods.” When her father arrived, they handed over Zaafirah at their doorstep without letting him into the house. Once they got home, Zaafirah’s father realized that she had suffered the most unbearable physical abuse. Muscles in her leg were severed, her nails had …
Women's Shelters
WAW and Women’s Protection Centers in Afghanistan
This powerful documentary featuring Women for Afghan Women (WAW) and our work offering support, protection, and shelter to women through our Women's Protection Centers (WPCs) in Afghanistan, was produced with the financial support of Danner Afghanistan for Women's Empowerment Organization (DAWEO) with technical support from WAW and the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs (MoWA). The documentary was shared with the Directorate of Women Protection Centers in the MoWA and approved by ASN members, WPC Coordination Meeting members, and the members of the Committee to uphold the Elimination for Violence Against Women Law. Credit for the production of this great video goes to DAWEO. …
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WAW Featured on ATV: Women’s Rights and Islam
WAW Staff are interviewed on Afghan TV (ATV) discussing the importance of WAW's work on human rights, WAW's Women's Rights ARE Human Rights, and how women's rights and equality are enshrined in Islam and in Islamic law. …
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WAW is #ByHerSide in Afghanistan
WAW’s #ByHerSide program in Afghanistan provides access to critically-needed health services including: treatment for survivors of rape or incest (including emergency reconstructive surgeries as needed); treatment for survivors of physical abuse or violence by family or community members; obstetrics and gynecological services for pregnant women (including nutritional supplements to reduce incidences of malnutrition and providing medicines such as pain relievers); and birth and after-birth services in a high-quality medical facility. …
#CelebrateCourage with WAW Kunduz Province Manager: Shamila’s Inspiration
When the position of Kunduz Province Manager was re-instituted by Women for Afghan Women, Shamila—then living in Kabul with her family—decided to apply for the post. Upon her hiring, her parents were understandably apprehensive, but one of her sisters encouraged her. Shamila decided that her love and commitment to Kunduz, her home province, was much stronger than any threat posed by militants. Shamila's Inspiration is all about courage, heart, and giving! …
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Afghan Women Key to Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan
Published in The Hill, 08/16/2018 By Manizha Naderi and Megan E. Corrado For years, the United States has engaged in backchannel talks with the Taliban to little avail. However, news that principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, met with the militant group in Doha last month represents the latest wave of diplomatic efforts to address America’s longest running war. In this endeavor, the U.S. empowered one if its most experienced diplomats, at once forcing the Taliban to confer with a woman as a condition for dealing with the U.S. directly, while simultaneously demonstrating leadership in the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for incorporating women into all facets of peacebuilding processes. These successive waves of women’s leadership in dialogue with the Taliban — and the latter’s acquiescence to participation — may signal a relaxation of their hardline positions toward …
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