Afghan Women in the News »
Articles referenced are for informational purposes only, and do not reflect the opinion or policies of UNIFEM and the United Nations. Content is protected under international copyright laws, and should be cited from the original source.
LEONARD PITTS: A story for women and girls, not just in Afghanistan
January 28, 2009 | The Modesto Bee 
By Leonard Pitts
A story for women and girls.
Shamsia was walking with her sister when a man on a motorcycle pulled abreast of them. "Are you going to school?" he asked.
She was. And this was, by definition, an incendiary act in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the Taliban is making a comeback and posters on walls warn, "Don't Let Your Daughters Go to School." What happened next was monstrous. As recounted Jan. 14 by the New York Times, the man lifted the girl's burqa, exposing her face.
Then he sprayed it with acid. In all, 15 girls and their teachers at the Mirwais School For Girls were targeted by six men on three motorcycles in the November attacks.
Seventeen-year-old Shamsia Husseini got it the worst, according to the Times. She was left with jagged scars on her face and her vision was damaged.
The next day, the school stood empty.
And there the tale might rest...
UNIFEM