On the Line with: Huma Huma came to Women for Afghan Women (WAW) three years ago when she was only 19 years old. When she was 14, her family arranged her marriage and a formal engagement took place. Her fiancé, Saif Allah, often visited her after the engagement. One day, he arrived with blood all over his clothes. He proceeded to take Huma to his home, even though a wedding had not yet taken place. Huma and her mother w... Read more

On the Line with: Semin In 2007, Women for Afghan Women opened a shelter in Mazar-e-Sharef. One of our first employees there was a mom in her late 30s, Semin. She had been residing in our shelter in Kabul with her three children.  Semin graduated from Kabul high school in 1989 and went on to be employed in a local vocational school. Over the next 10 years, she advanced in her job and met a very nice professional young ma... Read more

On the Line with: Shabana Last May a beautiful seventeen year old, Shabana, arrived at The Women for Afghan Women shelter in Kabul. She had narrowly escaped being killed by her husband, and had fled to the police station, where they referred her to us. In many ways, she epitomizes the cultural and legal powerlessness of many women living in Afghanistan today.  Shabana's father had died when she was young, and she had no ... Read more

On the Line with: Narwan Having married an Afghan married based in New York, Narwan dreamt of freedom and a new life in a new country. For six years after they wed, her husband gave her excuses for why he was unable to bring her to the United States. Finally, in 2001, after she gave birth to their first son, her husband agreed to bring her and their child into the US.  Upon her arrival, Narwan learned that her husband ha... Read more

On the Line with: Torpekai Torpekai is one of the many very brave women in Afghanistan who has turned the injustice and cruelty in her life into strength, and used it to help others. Torpekai married at the age of 20, and she and her husband were happily married for about ten years. Together, they had one son and two daughters. Five years ago, tragedy struck Torpekai's family: while she and her children were visiting her m... Read more

On the Line with: Qandi Gul Qandi Gul was born in Kunduz province. When she was 16, her family arranged her engagement. Immediately after the engagement was arranged, however, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, and a repressive environment for women was established.  When Qandi Gul's fiancé came to get her, Qandi Gul's mother would not let her go—the men in the family were away and there was no one at home to help make... Read more

On the Line with: Nadia One afternoon, we received a troubling phone call in our Queens office. The caller reported that there was a young Afghan woman in the park—she was crying and couldn't make herself understood to those trying to help her because she did not speak English. We immediately went to the park, brought her to the WAW office.  She said her name was Nadia, and started telling us her story. At just 17, she m... Read more

On the Line with: Gul Andam When Gul Andam’s parents passed away she was forced to live with her brothers and their family. During that time, Gul Andam’s life was transformed to that of a slave. She was expected to serve their every need and was not permitted to go anywhere. Whenever the family was displeased they would physically and emotionally abuse her.  Gul Andam was a beautiful woman and had many prospective suitors, b... Read more

On the Line with: Susan Susan is a Turkish woman who was sold by her father to a man twenty years older than her.  Her Turkish husband was a Permanent Resident in the United States, and he brought Susan here illegally.  He frequently abused her.  He kept her in their home like a hostage by telling her that her visa was expired and she would get into trouble if she ventured out.  She did not tell her family about the abus... Read more

On the Line with: Raihanna Raihanna is a professional rug maker from Kabul who thinks she’s 20 years old but might be younger. Her childlike voice is in stark contrast to her weathered face. She came to WAW’s Mazar-i-Sharif Shelter because her first husband was killed during the current war. After two months as a widow, Raihanna’s brother married her off to someone against her will and took her children (a 4 year old daug... Read more

On the Line with: Yahsameen Yahsameen is an intelligent, outspoken 30 year old woman from Herat who came to WAW’s Kabul Shelter because her husband was violent to her.  She also believes he committed adultery.  Because the Afghan government heavily favors fathers in the event of divorce, Yahsameen was afraid she would lose her two children if she attempted to dissolve the marital contract. After her first stay at the shelter... Read more

On the Line with: Khatera Khatera is a petite, 20 year old woman from Kabul Province with a big friendly smile and a heartbreaking story. She came to WAW's Kabul Shelter two years ago because she needed help obtaining a divorce from her 65 year old husband, whom she was forced to marry. (Both of her parents are dead, and her mother married her off just before she died in order to "protect" her.) She lived with her fiancé... Read more