"The position of women has been reduced to zero"

Amina (not her real name) is a psychotherapist from Zabul, Afghanistan and one of the millions of women experiencing gender-based violence in the country. She is not allowed to share her story, so I'm doing it for her, ahead of the International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November).

“I am Dr. Amina. In addition to working in a government hospital in my province, I had my own psychotherapy clinic for women victims of violence, providing medical and psychological assistance to victims of forced marriage, women feeling suicidal and suicide-attempt survivors.

Despite challenges, my work was good. My hands were not tied. I supported women and girls in cooperation with local councils. I guided and advised them. Because the families of this region are very traditional, when their daughters’ honour is questioned, they do not want to inform anyone or ask for help from the Government. I was someone they could rely on.

Girls who didn’t want to get married and wanted to study came to ask me to talk to their families. I managed to resolve many cases and convince fathers and mothers to allow their daughters to work and study.

The current situation is a big shock for all Afghan women and girls. The Taliban have become even more violent than before. I still can’t work like I used to. I try to work secretly but it is not possible. Taliban security forces have come to the clinic to investigate. When I invite the families of girls and women who are the victims of violence for a meeting, the Taliban do not allow me to talk to the men and say that this is against sharia law.

The position of women has been reduced to zero. There used to be a difference between an educated woman and an illiterate woman, but now a woman is not considered a person at all.

Women are humiliated today without reason. When we were children, children would hit animals and dogs with stones and harass them. Now this is the situation for women in my country. Being insulted and humiliated is the biggest change that we women see in our lives.

I receive dozens of messages daily from girls and families asking me for help or whose girls decided to commit suicide or self-immolation. Widows and women with no brothers or sons commit suicide due to extreme poverty, because they cannot work. They cannot even walk outside without a Mahram. Former women employees are now asking me to work as a cleaner at the clinic[1] so they can feed their children. All women suffer from nervous and mental problems.

The situation is beyond our control. Every day, thousands of girls are forced into marriage and men take advantage of the opportunity to marry for a second or third time. Today, women’s hands and feet are tied, from young girls to 70-year-old women. We live like prisoners.

Many girls and women are killed and buried in Afghanistan due to the deprivation of education and the right to work. But I believe that if one dies, someone else will live to continue her journey.

We want the gates of educational institutions and workplaces to be reopened for Afghan women and girls. If the international community can help us with flour and oil, it can put pressure on the Taliban to open the doors of schools and universities.”

Amina's story and those of more than 50 other women currently living in Afghanistan can be found on the After August website. Their names and locations have been changed for their protection. This collection of true stories documenting the lives of Afghan women is a collaboration between UN Women Afghanistan, Zan Times, Limbo and independent storytellers. It aims to raise awareness and incite an international audience to reflect and, hopefully, to act.