BACK TO LIFE – AFGHANISTAN

Since April 2023, HÁWAR.help has been supporting an Afghan partner organization running shelters for women and girls in Kabul. The BACK TO LIFE shelters in Kabul offer women and their children a safe haven from sexualized violence and forced marriage. They receive medical care, psychotherapeutic support and legal advice. We also offer handicraft courses, art therapy as well as sports and leisure activities. The children can go to kindergarten in the shelters and learn to read and write. The aim is to enable women and children to find their way back to life.

In 2024, we provided treatment for 94 medical cases, enabled 160 women to take part in mental health and self-care workshops and offered psychotherapy sessions to 188 women. 84 legal advice cases were processed. These also included legal support in court.

Despite this, running shelters for women under Taliban rule is very challenging. Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, women in Afghanistan have been denied their basic rights. These include the right to education, the right to work and the right to physical integrity. In addition, sexualized violence and forced marriages, especially among young girls, are on the rise. It is therefore particularly important that the doors of these women’s shelters remain open.

To protect the women affected, our employees and our partner organization in Afghanistan, we are currently unable to provide more detailed information about the project or our work on the ground.