Marriage in present day Afghanistan is still in many cases a financial transaction and places women in possibly dangerous situations. Marriages are often done in a home or traditional setting without a marriage license making it difficult to prove anything in court. If a husband wants to leave his wife he is able to do so whenever he pleases but for a woman it is nearly impossible.
With the lack of employment opportunities for women in the region, even more so for uneducated women, the only viable option is to remarry.
Inside a women’s shelter in Kabul you hear the laughter of children playing as their mothers huddle in a corner speaking to each other in whispers. The bedrooms are filled with bunk beds, some 12 to a room. Some of these women have not stepped outside of the shelter walls in years. All were forced into marriages; most suffered from physical and mental abuse. Some have been abandoned by their husbands; others have husbands with drug addictions issues. All of these women have nowhere else to go.
Emilie Richardson Photography
Emilie Richardson is a New York based photographer available for assignments worldwide.