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Afghan women gather to protest claims of human rights violations of women by the Taliban regime.
Eleven days ago, Dr. Akbari was at her clinic in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif when she got a call that made her drop everything. It was a member of the Taliban who had been threatening her from afar for months because she had given a birth control shot to his 13-year-old bride.
“This time, his voice was actually really soft,” recalls Akbari. “He said, ‘We’re entering the city. Soon we’ll come and get you.’ “
What led to this moment and what happened next offer a window into what the Taliban’s takeover may hold for Afghanistan’s women. Taliban leaders have promised to moderate the harsh restrictions that the group imposed the last time they ruled Afghanistan. This time, they say, they’ll allow women to be involved in government and work in sectors such as health care. But women on the ground say the reality is more complicated.
That’s when the 13-year-old arrived at her clinic. While examining her, Akbari learned that the girl had been married to an older man as his second wife. “She told me her husband wanted to get her pregnant.”
Akbari says the medical guidance in this situation was clear: “She is a child. It’s risky for any child to get pregnant. And this girl was also physically very weak.”
What’s more, the girl did not want to get pregnant. “She begged me for help,” says Akbari.
So Akbari decided to give the girl the contraceptive injection, which would last for three months.
9Naija 