While Islamic Sharia and international documents emphasize the right of widows and women without guardians to access emergency financial assistance, evidence from Kunduz shows that many of these women are, in practice, deprived of this right. In the Holy Quran (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 60), the poor and needy are identified as rightful recipients of zakat, and in the Hadiths, caring for widows is described as equivalent to performing major social deeds.
International documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, also recognize access to basic livelihood and support in crisis situations as a fundamental right. Similarly, according to the Constitution of Afghanistan (2003), the government is obliged to support vulnerable groups, including widows.
On the other hand, as Afghanistan faces poverty, unemployment, and the consequences of years of war, widows have been placed in bad economic conditions. Nevertheless, some widows in Kunduz told Salam Watandar that, amid the unfair distribution of humanitarian and emergency aid, they have been deprived of this assistance.
Gul Bibi, a 40-year-old widowed mother of five children, says the last time she received assistance was about seven months ago, and since then she has received neither cash nor food aid. According to her, despite repeated requests, her name has not been included on the recipients’ list, and both the surveys and visits to administrations have been difficult for her.
“The problem is that you have to search for help too much—visit the village leader, apply to the government—and when they survey you, they should understand your life situation. The government should always help, but no one cares about anyone. If the neighbors don’t bring me bread at night, my children and I will go hungry,” she says.
Shaima, 47-year-old from Kunduz, also says she has not received any aid for about nine months, although she used to receive assistance periodically. She adds that she has been told the aid is now allocated to migrants. She says,
“It has been nine months since we have heard anything about aid. We have a Red Cross card, and several times when we went there, they told us that the aid meant for us had been given to migrants. They told us to wait, but there is no aid. Now there is no organization and no assistance. They say they give it all to the migrants.”
Bibi Rahima, 60-year-old, has received cash assistance only once and has been deprived from any further aid. She says the registration process and access to assistance are complicated, and her name was barely added to the list. She says,
“During all this time, we were able to receive help only once. Since then, we haven’t received any assistance, and they don’t even provide the martyrs’ fund. Life is very difficult, and Ramadan is passing with hardship. There is neither work nor aid, and I don’t have any information. I don’t even know where to go, and we haven’t seen any place providing help, not even from the government.”
Amena, resident of ‘Dasht-e-Archi’ district of Kunduz, says she has received aid twice in total—once in food items (flour, oil, lentils, sugar, and tea) and once in cash. She emphasizes that she has no any sufficient information about receiving the aid process and mostly learns about it through intermediaries or village leaders. She adds,
“From the UN side, there was flour, oil, lentils, sugar, and tea. Yes, I received help, but only twice. Once it was flour, sugar, chickpeas, lentils, salt, etc., and the other time it was cash.”
These accounts indicate that aid has been limited and irregular, often dependent on lists and intermediaries, leaving some women deprived of assistance for months, or even up to a year.
Religious scholars highlight the specific rights of widows in Islam and note that in Hanafi jurisprudence, widows are considered needy and entitled to support. If they are poor, they are eligible for zakat and other financial assistance.
Shafiullah Ahmadi, a religious scholar, emphasizes that in Islamic teachings, assistance to widows and needy women holds a special place. According to him, in emergency situations, these women should be prioritized because they bear responsibility for caring for children and supporting their households.
He says, “From an Islamic perspective, providing basic needs to this group is not only a charitable act but a social responsibility that must be implemented through instruments such as ‘zakat’ and ‘Sadaqa’ (voluntary charity).” And he also adds,
“In Hanafi jurisprudence, it is obligatory for women to receive maintenance (nafaqah) from their guardian (husband or wali). If the husband or guardian is not available, their relatives are primarily responsible for providing maintenance. If the relatives are also unable, the Bayt al-Mal(the house of wealth) is responsible. Those who wish to pay zakat on their wealth should consider poor women (widows) as fully deserving recipients, and in some cases, assisting them is regarded as more important than helping others. Furthermore, in emergency situations, Hanafi jurisprudence emphasizes that the preservation of life (hifz al-nafs) is one of the greatest objectives of Sharia; therefore, poor women or widows should be given priority.”
Meanwhile, some legal experts emphasize that access to emergency aid for widows is not only a humanitarian need but also a legal right. Shafiqullah Ezedyar, a legal scholar, states that the government must support vulnerable groups, especially widows and orphaned children. According to him, national laws and international documents emphasize equality and non-discrimination, but in practice, issues such as weak management and lack of effective oversight create barriers to the implementation of these principles.
“One of the fundamental principles of the law is that it applies to all citizens of the country—housewives, widows, children, and men alike. Emergency aid should not be discriminatory. Emergency assistance is a legal right for those in need, especially widows and women without guardians,” he says.
Nonetheless, Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, says that under Sharia principles, women are given priority in receiving services, including aid. He says,
“Priority must be given to women because they should not have to wait like men. They do not have the capacity to wait for long periods, and it is not appropriate for them. The ministry has communicated this information to all provinces, and the process is ongoing. It is always shared through mosques, relatives, tribes, and the Ministry’s Information and Public Relations, in both written and audio form.”
Despite the emphasis of national laws, Islamic principles, and international documents on the rights of women—especially widows and women without guardians—to receive emergency aid, the findings of this report show that in practice, these rights face obstacles. Limited assistance, lack of transparency in lists, the role of intermediaries, and the prioritization of other groups are among the factors restricting access for women.
Reporter: Maryam Moqadas
