Women For Afghan Women Kabul, Afghanistan. Family Guidance Center, where the women after violence spend the time during the process, before transfer to another place, or the eventual resolution of the case.
October 2018 I was covering the stories for Women for Afghan Women ©Nadezda Tavodova Tezgor
Amal is 27 years old. She was married having four kids, three daughters and one son. Her husband was a highly addicted and violent person. The first time she came to our Center seven years ago. After some time we separated since her husband was addicted she received her kids. We provided her a job with us as a security guard. She is working and she rented a home living with her kids.
Jana is 24 years old. Her husband is already in prison for 20 years, for the crime he has done, he killed someone. She has two kids, one is ten, another twelve. The first time she came by herself, she wants the separation from her husband. Her case was registered and with the family, we had already many family counseling sessions. After her father-in-law took her back home. At home, he attacked her, stabbed and caused her many injuries on her face and her body. He wanted to kill her. After he escaped. When the police arrest him he is gonna be in the jail. The police helped Jana took her to the hospital. Our Center found her and brought her to the center. Now we are done with her treatment and started to file the case again, taking her separation from her husband. After two or three months her case will be done and she will be separated from her husband. Because Afghan law she is not entitled to her children. Her mother-in-law is taking care of both her children.
Farida is 25 years old woman. She grew up in the shelter in Iran. After she was 18 years old they told her that she has to be integrated. She moved to Afghanistan to Herat Province. She got married there, spent with her husband seven years and has three kids, 5 years old daughter, two sons two years old and not even one year old. Her husband had already another wife and the children. Farida's father-in-law during her marriage with his son started abused her and asked her to have a sexual relationship with him. When she didn't accept it, he raped her. She got away to another province, the police helped her and referred her to our Center. She is with us now and she filled the case against her husband. We try to find him and make a separation from him. Her children are in the care of her husband's family.
Khalida is 28 years old. She is from the local province. She is the mother of three children, one daughter, and two sons. She decided to come to our Center because her husband was highly addicted and she wanted to solve the problem. For the past twenty-five years, he was using the heroin and another narcotic. After many consulting sessions also with her husband he promised to go to the hospital and make him fine again. After two months he is not good. When he was under the influence of narcotics, he was violent and hurt her and the kids as well. Khalida is staying now in the Center, doing a separation from her husband. Because husband's addictions is is a high chance to get all kids for her, according to Afghan law.
Parisa is 22 years old and her son Azyan 4 years old. Her husband is a soldier. Because the war problems and other-other things he was highly violent and he were doing more violence on their son as on her. He used to put small son into the very cold water and used to make him eat the paper and another thing. When she came the first time her small the son was just two years old. When her husband was doing the violence and she wanted to stop him he beat her as well. After she with small son came to the office, our caseworker had registered many of injuries on the body of the son. Base on this violence he was done he went to prison for six months. After that he was released has run away to Turkey where he is living. He does not care about her and their son. Because Parisa was very powerful women and she was helping with all of the stuff, our Center provided her the job in our kindergarten. She with her son are living in the center for this moment. She is earning a good salary and has a plan to save the money and rent the house for their future life her and her son. She feels safe but still small son has sometimes bad dreams. It needs time.
Fatima is 36 years old lady. She was married and have seven kids. Her husband was a very cruel person, he used to beat her and her kids for not any specific reason. She runs away from him and came to Kabul where the police referred her and her two daughters to our FGC office for the protection. After the registration of her case, she said she doesn't want to go back and she wanted a separation. The Center took her and her two daughters separation and both daughters remained with her. Fatima is working with as a cook, she is earning a good salary and she rents a home. Her daughters are going to school, now they are happy.
Because I believe that the things will change, because it must change!
For WAW EXPO 2019 #CelebrateCourage
Cover Photo: Former WAW client, Amal, who works as a security guard at a WAW facility in Kabul Center, Afghanistan October 2018. Amal was one of the women I photographed and told their story.