Sophie McNeill is a freelance video journalist whose work airs on SBS TV's Dateline program. Her report on the plight of Afghan women, Afghanistan's shame, aired on 16 August [ and can be viewed here].
She writes in a piece on newmatilda.com about a truly remarkable woman working in Afghanistan to assist young women:
"I came to Herat to visit the only women's shelter in Western Afghanistan.
Hidden away in an anonymous building a few blocks from the centre of town, the shelter is crammed with women and children who have fled to escape abusive husbands or family members. The afternoon I visit the shelter it is nearly full, with around 40 women and their children making use of the temporary accommodation. The exact location of the shelter is a well kept secret; many of the women are scared their husbands will track them down and harm them or their children.
Many of the women are shy and obviously traumatised. They sit cross-legged on the frayed carpet, drinking tea and making quiet conversation. Scores of babies and kids climb over them, clamoring for attention. Everybody here is under the care of Suraya Pakzad, a 37-year-old mother of six who heads the locally run NGO "Voice of Women". She wanders around the crowded room, offering a hug here, squeezing a hand there. "Most of these women are here because of domestic violence," she explains sadly."
Continue reading here.
She writes in a piece on newmatilda.com about a truly remarkable woman working in Afghanistan to assist young women:
"I came to Herat to visit the only women's shelter in Western Afghanistan.
Hidden away in an anonymous building a few blocks from the centre of town, the shelter is crammed with women and children who have fled to escape abusive husbands or family members. The afternoon I visit the shelter it is nearly full, with around 40 women and their children making use of the temporary accommodation. The exact location of the shelter is a well kept secret; many of the women are scared their husbands will track them down and harm them or their children.
Many of the women are shy and obviously traumatised. They sit cross-legged on the frayed carpet, drinking tea and making quiet conversation. Scores of babies and kids climb over them, clamoring for attention. Everybody here is under the care of Suraya Pakzad, a 37-year-old mother of six who heads the locally run NGO "Voice of Women". She wanders around the crowded room, offering a hug here, squeezing a hand there. "Most of these women are here because of domestic violence," she explains sadly."
Continue reading here.
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