Despite this, some girls in Kunduz province told Salam Watandar that their brothers exercise control over them in an un-Islamic manner and interfere in matters ranging from marriage to education, work, and other affairs of their lives.
Findings from Salam Watandar, based on interviews with experts and 20 women who have experienced gender inequality within their families, show that this issue has had serious physical and psychological effects on women.
Giving women in baad — a practice aimed at settling disputes between families — remains a harmful and ongoing custom in some parts of Afghanistan.
Doctors warn that violence against women during pregnancy has irreversible consequences. However, some women, in interviews with Salam Watandar, describe experiencing severe violence during this period—violence that has even resulted in miscarriages.
A number of women interviewed by Salam Watandar say that social restrictions have limited their access to in-person educational materials, while online educational resources have become the primary means for continuing their education.
Islamic Sharia and legal experts consider emotional support one of the fundamental pillars of married life and emphasize love, respect, and kind treatment between husband and wife — a right whose violation can even provide grounds for filing for divorce. However, a number of women complain about the lack of affection and emotional understanding in their marriages, saying that the situation has placed them under psychological pressure.
Findings from Salam Watandar’s interviews with 13 girls who were given to adoption show that these girls face identity confusion and, in some cases, discriminatory behavior.
A number of women in Daikundi say they prefer informal arbitration over formal legal institutions to resolve their legal disputes.
Some women in Sar-e Pol say that a lack of awareness about the importance of birth spacing, along with family pressure, beliefs, and traditions, has led them to have repeated pregnancies. They add that this has caused serious health problems and, in some cases, miscarriage.
Legal experts and religious scholars emphasize that women have the right to insert lawful conditions in the marriage certificate (Nikah Nama) prior to marriage, and if the husband fails to act in accordance with such conditions, the wife may demand her rights through legal channels. However, some women complain that after years of marriage, the very conditions agreed by their husbands’ side prior to the marriage certificate have not been fulfilled.
For this reason, the Salam Afghanistan Media Organization (Radio Salam Watandar) conducted a field survey in 26 provinces of the country and examined the mental health status of 401 women, aiming to present a realistic and scientific picture of depression among women in Afghanistan. The findings of this survey show that nearly half of the surveyed women experience moderate depression, which can be considered a serious threat to women’s mental health in Afghanistan.
Although Islamic Sharia emphasizes consultation and mutual family understanding in decision-making — including marriage — in many families in Afghanistan the role of mothers in this process is overlooked, and they are excluded from decision-making.
