Book for Afghan Women Facing Abuse

One in three women around the world has faced violence. More often than not, this violence comes from an intimate partner or a family member- making the home one of the least safe places for women. In Afghanistan, 87% of women have said they’ve faced verbal, physical or sexual violence at home (UN Women). These statistics are staggering and behind them are real women struggling with violence and intimidation and the trauma they bring. This is especially tragic in a country where there is a systematic effort to keep women at home and prevent their economic empowerment, legal barriers to women seeking justice, divorce, and custody, and rampant sexism that stigmatizes women survivors of sexualized violence. A short guide written by Free Women Writers, a grassroots collective of volunteer Afghan women students and writers I founded, hopes to help women in Afghanistan through providing practical tips for seeking legal aid, forming networks of support, and protecting their mental health if they are facing abuse. Titled "You Are Not Alone", the guide is unprecedented for our country. It includes discussions of culturally-taboo issues such as marital rape and extra-marital relationships and dismantles harmful myths about the drivers of violence. More importantly, it tells women survivors of violence that they are not alone and it is not their fault.

The guide has been written after four years of research, conversations with survivors of violence, and a study of the country’s civil laws and the Elimination of Violence against Women Act of 2009. Although it has been made available online for free, due to unequal access to internet services in Afghanistan, members of Free Women Writers are concerned that the book will not reach those who need it most urgently. This is why we are reaching out to our feminist friends around the world to help us publish the book in Persian and Pashtu (local languages) in Afghanistan. We've spoken with a publishing company and have a quotation that the estimated cost for printing 2000 copies of the 100-page book will be $800.  We hope to publish this book by November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women. We'll provide images of quotations we received and bills on the fundraising page. You can always contact us with any questions at [email redacted]

We thank you for your support in advance. 

In Solidarity, 
Free Women Writers/دختران رابعه