Bamiyan Panorama

Bamiyan Panorama

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Is it fair? Is it right? Afghan women in prison - part one.

Imagine not being able to leave prison unless your husband or male relative will get you out.  Now imagine if your husband & male relatives put you in prison!  How will you get out?  This is what happened to a woman named Maida Khal who is currently 22 years old.  The picture isn't a very attractive one, but I think it is realistic.  (In the picture she is reacting to another female prisoner being released)   She is currently in the Mazar-e-sharif prison.

According to the National Geographic blurb about her, she was married off to a 70 year old paralyzed man when she was 12 years old.  UGH!  She couldn't carry him around because she was so young, so the old man's brothers would beat her.  She asked for a divorce when she was 18 and was put in prison.  I guess for the past four years she has just been..... sitting there.....in prison...... waiting for what?

"I am in jail because I don't have a male guardian.  I can't get a divorce and I can't leave prison without a man.  I have had a difficult life."  she says. 

How will she get out?  From what I can tell, she will NEVER get out of prison because the only people who can get her out are the people who put her there in the first place.  I don't know much about how prisons are in Afghanistan but i'm going to try to find out some info to share, just so we can see what Maida does all day. 

  maida-khal

2 comments:

gorikuri said...

I myself have been wondering what happened to Maida,... but I haven't been able to find any information updating us about her either.

Riva Rogers said...

I have been looking for any updates on Maida, as well as the Mazar-e-Sharif Women's Prison and have not heard of anything at all. As soon as I do, I will post an update on my blog. Thank you for asking...