Afghanistan

Population: 22, 720, 416
Capital: Kabul
Languages: Pushto; Dari

Religion: Islam
Life Expectancy: 43.9 years

GDP per Capita: $1,000 US

• 1 in every 3 Afghan women experience physical, psychological or sexual violence

• 70 to 80 percent of women face forced marriages in Afghanistan

• 75% of births are not attended by a doctor, nurse or midwife

• A total of 1, 900 deaths of mothers per 100, 000 live births

• Marital rape is not criminalized

• Has the highest rate of illiteracy for women in the world at 87%

• Women gained the vote in 1965

• Starting with the 2005 elections, legislative quota reserves 25% of seats in parliament for women. In the 2005 elections, over 300 female candidates ran for office. Women candidates won all of the 68 seats they had been allocated plus an additional 17.

Check out this neat write up by Abdullah Qazi: HERE


It is a brief summery of some of the things Afghan women have and have had to deal with. The laws of women have changed immensely over time. What I find the most interesting is that women were seen as equal to men over 1000 years ago, they had the right to do basically anything that a man could do. However during the Taliban reign, they were denied any rights and were forced to completely cover themselves, they had to have male permission to do anything. Now, slowly, women are gaining rights once again. You should defiantly read the article it explains it in much more detail. Plus, the site also has multiple links to other articles; video’s and books on afghan women, I encourage you to check it out.


As I was Google imaging pictures of Afghan women, many images appeared with women who had been seriously injured. One woman had set herself on fire because her husband was abusing her and she wanted to stand up to him, she had burns all over her body. Another women’s nose and ears were chopped off, by her husband, she was his second wife. Looking at those pictures made me feel sick to my stomach, not because they are visually disturbing but because I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that women are still being treated like that today. I hate to say it, but so often it feels like two completely different worlds we women live in….but it shouldn’t be. How can we find a connection between those women in Afghanistan who have suffered and are suffering so much to the women here who are so privileged in comparison? That is not at all to say that women here are not abused and often treated unfairly, but the difference is that here people actually do something about it, it is not seen as at all acceptable to have a husband treat you in such a horrible way. I think it’s just so important for us to not be so ignorant and to realize that things like this are happening. We definitely do not live in the perfect little world that we so often convince in our minds, and I believe that once people begin to realize this that is when we can truly start to make a difference.