By Marzia When I left school in the fall of 1995, I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be able to…
Category: Blog
PTSD Is Silently Killing Afghanistan
Written by Tahmina Aminy After growing up in war in Afghanistan, it has taken me a long time to cope…
The Taboo Surrounding Women’s Names in Afghanistan Has Real-Life Implications
A campaign to fight stigma around using women’s names in public in Afghanistan has taken the country by the storm and made headlines around the world. Much of the conversation has, rightly, been about how we should not hide women’s names, call them by derogatory terms, or refer to them as “so-and-so’s mother”. However, beyond the fact that this taboo leads to women being known by the names of their sons, husbands, or fathers- instead of as individual humans- it also has other real-life implications.
Art Can Let Afghan Women Express Our Unique Selves
Hangama Amiri is an up-and-coming Afghan-Canadian artist. She graduated from NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was a Canadian…
Despite Threats and Security Risks, Youth Are Changing Afghanistan
The youth of Afghanistan are making their unapologetic mark on the world. Just over a month ago, the Afghan Girl…
Afghan Women Are My Heroes
This is a “Thank you” to all the women who provide the bulk of the world’s unpaid and unappreciated labor,…
Afghan Women’s Role in Peacebuilding Is Ignored
With more than twenty years of experience in the humanitarian field inside and outside Afghanistan, Belquis Ahmadi is one of…
You Are not Alone, a Booklet for Afghan Women Facing Violence
We are beyond excited to share Free Women Writers’ latest book with all of you! A guide for women facing gender-based…
Afghanistan’s Mission to the United Nations Has a Serious Sexism Problem
This week, Mohammad Yama Aini, an Afghan diplomat with the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations physically assaulted his wife…
Facing the many Layers of Misogyny in Afghan Society
Negah My mom called me to thread the machine needle for her. Her sight has been suffering. As I sat…