The Lovers (55 page)

16
.   Ibid.

17
.   The full, verbatim text of the press release, as issued in English by President Ghani’s press office on November 19, 2014:

Breshna the girl who was victim of rape, is not posed to any danger by her family.

Based on the order of President Ashraf Ghani, a meeting was held at the palace this afternoon with presence of ten-year-old girl’s family who was raped by a mullah in Kunduz province. In this meeting Breshna’s family, representatives of ministries of foreign affairs, head of International Amnesty for Afghanistan [
sic;
apparently they meant to describe the AIHRC, as Amnesty International was not involved] had participated. Abdul Ali Mohammadi the Legal Advisor to President Ghani demanded explanation from Breshna the little girl’s family her father and her uncle about the threats posed to her life. Breshna’s father and uncle rejected any kind of threats posed to her from her family side, they said the little girl who was victim of rape her self [
sic
], she is not posed to any risk by her family. They said the rumors of any threats posed to her was made up by some opportunists who try to exploit this case for their personal gains in the name of advocacy. In this meeting the family of the rape victim asked for the severest punishment to be given to the rapist. They also assured, that “not only Breshna is safe with us but we also protect her from the reach of any exploiters.”

18
.   According to Manizha Naderi, the Women for Afghan Women’s executive director. Manizha had the following reaction when she heard about the statement on Breshna from the presidential palace: “I wish the palace would look at the big picture. Rape of children is a big problem right now. We have a three-year-old in the hospital in Kabul who was raped in Takhar. She just came out of surgery. There was another twelve-year-old who was gang-raped over six days in Takhar, a twelve-year-old boy was gang-raped over a month-long period in Ghazni, a five-year-old boy was brutally raped and died in Kandahar, another five-year-old died because of a brutal rape in Herat. These are just a few cases that I know of. I am sure there are many, many others. The palace needs to look at this whole problem and make a strong statement about it.”

19
.   Dr. Sarwari did not leave her post and, supported by her colleagues at WAW, remained at her job through 2015, although in late September she was obliged to flee Kunduz, along with the women and children in her shelter, after the Taliban overran the city.

20
.   Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, “Afghanistan: Marriage Practice Victimizes Young Girls, Society,” Jan. 4, 2008, www.rferl.org/content/article/1079316.html. UNICEF figures are that 15 percent of Afghan women are fifteen or younger when married; see note 14, chapter 2.

21
.   Karim Amini, Tolo News, online news service, Aug. 30, 2014, “8 Year Old Girl Married Off to 12 Year Old Boy,” www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/16174-8-year-old-girl-married-off-to-12-year-old-boy. See also Sayed Arif Musavi, Tolo News, online news service, Feb. 15, 2015, “10-year-old Girl Victim of Baad in Balkh,” www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/18222-10-year-old-girl-victim-of-qbaadq-in-balkh, for another case of a young girl being sold as a child bride to resolve adult disputes.

22
.   Alissa J. Rubin,
New York Times,
Apr. 1, 2013, p. A1, “Painful Payment for Afghan Debt: a Daughter, 6,” www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/world/asia/afghan-debts-painful-payment-a-daughter-6.html.

23
.   
New York Times,
Dec. 30, 2012, p. A12, “Winter’s Deadly Bite Returns to Refugee Camps of Kabul,” www.nytimes.com/2012/12/30/world/asia/deadly-bite-of-winter-returns-to-ill-prepared-refugee-camps-of-kabul.html.

24
.   In an interview in May 2015.

25
.   Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, “Violence Against Women 1390,” 2012, http://goo.gl/SnuXBZ. Shakila’s case is discussed on p. 29.

26
.   AIHRC, “Violence Against Women 1391,” 2013, www.aihrc.org.af/home/research_report/1319.

27
.   Many
arbakai
units later go on to become ALP formations, after training by American Special Forces.

28
.   See the website of the Development and Support of Afghan Women and Children at http://dsawco.org/eng.

29
.   Zarghona Salehi, Pajhwok Afghan News, online news agency, Sept. 24, 2012, “Kabul rally condemns lashing of Ghazni girl,” www.pajhwok.com/en/2012/09/24/kabul-rally-condemns-lashing-ghazni-girl, is a contemporary account of the attack on Sabira.

INDEX

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Abaya,
25, 327
n

Abbasi, Shazia, 259–61

Abdul Rahman Mosque, 211

Abida, 8–10

Adelson, Miriam, 136–37

Adelson, Sheldon, 136

Adultery
(zina)

Ali and Zakia’s case, 162, 175

Breshna’s case, 292, 298–99

EVAW law and, 57, 58, 268–69, 275

Safoora’s case, 74

Afghan Border Police (ABP), 212, 227

Afghan constitution, 56–57, 59, 262, 266–67, 318
n

Afghan flute, 27

Afghanistan

agriculture practices, 23, 334–35
n

birthrate, 243, 284, 333
n

family networks, 160–61, 256

life expectancy, 246, 284, 333
n

map of lover’s escapes, xiv–xv

patriarchal culture, 57–58, 124–25, 266

presidential election fiasco of 2014, 149–50, 174–75

public hospitals, 7, 319
n

Soviet invasion and occupation, 23, 192–93, 253–58

U.S. consequences of enterprise, 120–21, 131–32, 238

U.S.-led NATO invasion, 126–27, 265, 284

U.S. rule-of-law development in, 106–7, 111

women’s-rights issues in, 5–6, 56–57, 125–28, 176, 257–58.
See also
Women, status of

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), 211–12, 268, 278, 308

Afghan judges, 59, 320
n

Afghan Local Police (ALP)

Breshna case, 288, 294

human-rights abuses of, 81–82, 259–60, 279, 341
n

Lal Bib case, 81–82, 154

Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 212, 302

Afghan Ministry of Interior, 85, 142, 165, 166, 171, 172, 212, 280, 281, 323
n

Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), 70, 118, 174–75, 263, 268, 271

Afghan National Army

Ali’s desertion, 129, 150–51, 153

Ali’s service in, 29–30, 33–34, 129–30, 149–52

desertion problem, 317
n

Sabira and, 310–11

Shah Hussein’s service in, 158–59

Afghan National Institute of Music, 31, 257, 305

Afghan National Police (ANP), 67, 77, 120.
See also
Bamiyan police

Amina case, 65, 66, 96

arrest of Ali, 157–60, 164–67, 172

districts, 328
n

drug use, 317
n

literacy among, 120, 325
n

Siddiqa and Khayyam stoning, 61

Afghan Penal Code, 66, 90

Article 398, 90, 322
n

Afghan refugees, 108–9

in Canada, 199–200, 239, 282

in Iran, 108–9, 197, 329
n

in Pakistan, 197–98

in United States, 199–200

Afghan Women and Children Development Organization (AWCDO), 310

Afghan Women Skills Development Center, 133

Afghan Women’s Network (AWN), 59, 66, 270, 276

Aga Khan Development Network, 322
n

Age of brides, 41–42, 56, 303–4, 317–18
n

Age of consent, 74, 292, 333
n

Agriculture, 23, 334–35
n

Ahmadi, Aziza, 54, 64

Ahmadi, Najeeba, 54–55, 62, 67, 86, 119, 207

Ahmadis, the.
See
Gula Khan; Sabza; Zakia; Zaman

Ahmed, Azam, 175, 329
n

Ahmed-Ghosh, Huma, 325–26
n

Aisha, 208–10

Aisha, Bibi, 96–97, 118, 154, 182, 270–71

Akhlaqi, Sayed, 16, 17

Akrami, Mary, 133–34

Ali (Mohammad Ali)

appearance of, 77, 113

army service of, 29–30, 33–34, 78, 129–30, 149–52, 153

desertion, 150–51, 317
n

arrest of, 157–60, 164–67, 172

release from jail, 177, 178, 179

asylum/refugee options, 106, 232–33, 329
n

American embassy assistance, 106, 113, 119, 130–31, 134, 180–83, 196–97

Iran, 109, 140, 186, 197

Pakistan, 140–41, 197–98, 228

Rwanda plan, 111–12, 113–14, 119–20, 130–32, 134

Tajikistan fiasco, 220–21, 223–25, 227–28

author’s meetings with, 77–79, 97–101, 108, 112–16, 129–31, 141, 197, 201–2, 218, 239–42

Bamiyan shelter escape of Zakia, 6–8, 10–14

bound for Tajikistan, 212–18

budding love story, 11–13, 27–30, 33–41

celebrity status of, 169–70, 175–77, 179, 199

childhood of, 22–23

criminal charges against, 106–7, 111, 114, 131, 134, 140, 142–43, 147, 165–68, 170–75

criminal charges dropped against, 177–80, 207, 211–12

desire to purchase house, 152–53

family background of, 22, 23

financial assistance to, 101–2, 106–8, 111, 114–15, 119–20, 142–43, 185–86, 210–11, 217, 245–46

in hiding, 17–18, 25, 85–86, 87, 91, 92–104, 108–9, 139–41, 190–91

Haji and Zahra’s home, 93–95, 97–101, 189–90

holding hands with Zakia, 12–13, 16

initial friendship with Zakia, 27

in Kabul, 109–21, 123–24, 128–29, 139–40, 148–54, 193–208, 210–11, 231–32

kindness of strangers to, 69–70, 105–9, 114–15

lack of surname, 112

map of escape paths, xiv–xv

March-April 2014, 13–18, 67–68, 83, 85–86, 87, 92–104

June 2014, 177–79, 185–91

July-September 2014, 185–91, 193–94

September-October 2014, 226–28

marriage proposal to Zakia, 29, 34–35, 42–44

neka,
14–16, 170, 173–74, 177–78, 241

New York Times
and, 2–3, 69–70, 80–83, 95–102, 104, 105–6, 108, 179