'Seeking Refuge'

After Abuse and Rejection, Hasti Perseveres

Hasti* grew up in a poor family in a small village just outside of Tehran, Iran. She quit school when she was 13 to help her mother with their growing family. She was young when she met a young Afghan man her father had brought home after work one day. It was love at first sight. Within six months they were married and making plans to travel back to Afghanistan.  She knew she would be joining his first wife and children.

They travelled quietly and at night, working with smugglers to cross the border back into her husband's beloved home-land. They reunited with his family and things went very well for awhile.

Then, when Hasti's husband left to go back to Iran to find work, life became unbearable. Without his support, Hasti's sister-in-law and his first wife routinely abused her. Her children were not allowed to go to school. They were never given food.

Hasti's husband returned and they had a joyful reunion. Things went better with the other women of the household.  But, only a few months later, Hasti's husband was bit by a rabid dog.  He died. The abuse and rejection at the hands of her in-laws returned. In desperation, Hasti's fled to Kabul's Human Rights Commission who referred her to Hagar.

Hagar is working with International Organization for Migration (IOM) to find a way for Hasti and her children to go back to Iran. Over the years, Hasti learned nursing skills and hopes to use those skills to provide for her family. She wants to find peace and a new life. Hagar is working to make that a reality.

Hasti's story is one that echoes the haunting cries of many abused and rejected women in Afghanistan.

 

* Hagar pursues the highest degree of care and protection for each of its clients. To protect the identity of our clients, names have been changed and pictures do not necessarily represent the individual profiled.

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