Afghan young women

Bartered Away

Summary: In the article Bartered Away at Age 5, Now Trying to Escape To a Life She Chooses, a Afghan young women named Soheila shares her struggles at home. Soheila, at the age of 5, was bartered away by her father to a man who was about her father’s age. This practice of prearranged marriage is known as baad. Baad is where young girls are traded between families to resolves disputes. This practice is illegal but still carried out. When Soheila turned 13 she found out she would be married to a 67 year old man at the age of 16. In desperation to get out of this situation, she begged her cousin, Niaz Mohammad, to help her escape, and she did. They escaped and had a baby together. Soheila dad found her and said she can come back to the family if she kills her son and leaves Mohammad. She refuses and her father got really anger and is threatening to kill her and her son. An organization is working to protect her and help her through his all, its called Women for Afghan. As of now the family still is unhappy with Soheila and blames her for all their problems. She is also really concerned because she found out her family is going through with another baad currently.

Analysis: I think conditions in Afghanistan are horrible and are just getting worse. What they force women do is outrageous and wrong. Soheila thinks this process will just keep happening again and again and I agree.  I wish humans knew what is right from what is wrong, but we don’t. Soheila has to live the rest of her life in fear that her dad is going to find her and kill her. I wouldn’t be able to live knowing my own father could come and kill me at any moment. I feel horrible for all Afghan women in these situations.

Questions:

1. How can the U.S help stop baad?
2. Will the father find her and take her back to Afghanistan?
3. Where else do you think baad occurs?

My article was from the New York times paper

http://cdn.breitbart.com/