Reporter: Mahya Omid
Halima (pseudonym), a 48-year-old woman in Herat, has been raising her three children alone for the past three years. After her husband married another woman, he abandoned her without a divorce and provided no financial support for the children.
Halima explains that three years ago her husband told her, for no reason, that Islam allows a man to have four wives and that he wanted a second wife. He moved into a separate house with his new wife and has not returned to their home since the wedding day.
She says she has not seen her husband in the past three years. According to her, he is now focused on his new life, and she has had no contact with him or their children.
Halima said that in the first year, she and her children lived in her father-in-law’s house, where he covered their living expenses. But after his death, her brother-in-law evicted her and the children.
She now lives with her three children in her elderly parents’ home. To cover part of her living expenses, she has been working as a cleaner in a city restaurant for about a year.
Halima says her parents are also struggling, and she feels that she and her children have become a burden to them. She earns 5,000 Afghanis a month, which barely covers household expenses and the needs of her children.
Halima works in the women’s section of the restaurant, where most employees are women. However, she fears that the Taliban may restrict women from working in restaurants or ban them from entering, which would leave her unemployed.
She also laments the social pressures. ‘I hear from many people, both acquaintances and strangers, saying, “God knows what this woman has done that her husband left her.” I have nowhere to turn, and no one hears my voice. For the sake of my family’s honor, I cannot even mention divorce,’ Halima says.
However, Halima says she must endure the situation for the sake of her children. ‘God forbid if my children are taken from me, I would not survive. I will endure it until they grow up, and perhaps God will give us a better day,’ she says.
In Afghanistan, many women face serious economic and social challenges after their husbands remarry. While social norms and traditions often allow men to practice polygamy, many of these women are left without financial support and are forced to provide for themselves and their children alone. In the current situation, where job opportunities and legal and economic support for women are extremely limited, many turn to low-paid and unstable work.
Photo credited: Internet
