Support rights for Afghan women

Afghan President Karzai's recent visit to the U.S. has been in the news, but stories about the reality of life for Afghan women have been missing. Through my support of Madre (madre.org), I recently encountered the story of Zarbobo.

For over fifteen years, she had suffered beatings and abuse from her husband. She had four children. He killed two of them. One he threw into a fire pit. The other he left to die from an illness, refusing to take him to the doctor.

She made her escape one day when her husband was not at home. She was barefoot and had practically no clothing, but she knew she had to get away.

She went to the police, who referred her to a shelter supported in part by Madre's Afghan Women's Survival Fund.

Several days after her arrival, she confessed that this was the first time in her life that she had enough to eat.

This is the type of story we must remember - of courageous Afghan women demanding their rights. As Afghan people work to build their future, it will depend on the bravery of women like Zarbobo and the support we in the U.S. can extend to them.

Dorota Goczal

Bartlett