Afghan women fear loss of shelters as funding dwindles
May 4, 2017
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — As Afghanistan slides back into chaos, with a resurgent Taliban and dwindling international aid, many fear that the country’s women’s shelters could be forced to close, leaving those who rely on them at the mercy of an often harshly conservative society.
Nearly 30 shelters across the country — a legacy of the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban — provide food, refuge and education for women abused by their husbands or male relatives. The shelters also offer safety to women at risk of so-called honor killings, or of being sold into marriage to repay debts, a still-common practice.
A 19-year-old at one such shelter in Kabul fled western Afghanistan after her father tried to trade her to another family for marriage in return for a young bride following the death of his wife. In the four years since she fled, she has learned to read and write, as well as how to sew, and is now teaching the other women.
She’s had no contact with her father since she ran away, and fears that if the shelter closes she would have to live on the streets. “There are men who mistreat and abuse girls and women who have no place to live,” she said, asking that her name not be used for fear of retribution from her family.
