A mental health centre in Kabul, primarily for women, struggles to support an overwhelming number of patients, many suffering from domestic violence and social abandonment. As women like Mariam and Habiba seek freedom, they confront rigid cultural and legal restrictions that leave them without options, highlighting a significant mental health crisis in Afghanistan exacerbated by the Taliban’s oppressive policies.
"Behind Barbed Wire: The Plight of Women in Afghanistan's Mental Health System"
"Behind Barbed Wire: The Plight of Women in Afghanistan's Mental Health System"
Exclusive insight into a mental health facility in Kabul reveals a dire situation for women trapped without support.
High on a hill in Kabul, often overlooked, lies a mental health facility known as Qala, run by the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS). This centre is dedicated to assisting women grappling with mental health issues, but it is currently overloaded, housing 104 patients in dire need of support.
Among them is Mariam*, in her mid-20s, who has spent nine years at the centre after facing domestic violence and homelessness. Raised in a restrictive environment where young girls weren't allowed outside alone due to cultural beliefs, she endured abuse from her brothers before being ejected from her home. A compassionate woman discovered her on the streets and took her to the centre, where Mariam has shown resilience by helping with cleaning duties and maintaining a hopeful outlook, despite her yearning for freedom and love. She dreams of marrying someone in Kabul, feeling unable to return to her abandoning family which rejected her.
Habiba, another patient aged 28, tells of heartbreak as her husband cast her out after taking a second wife. Separated from her three sons who live with an uncle, she longs for stale companionship. Like Mariam, she is prepared for release, but societal barriers prevent her from reclaiming her life. The Taliban's grip on women’s rights forces them into situations where independence is unattainable without a male guardian, further entrenching a cycle of gender inequality.
A shocking revelation from staff reveals the alarming tenure of some patients, with a few having been institutionalized for over 35 years without any visitors. Dr. Abdul Wali Utmanzai, a psychiatrist at an ARCS-run hospital, notes that mental illness rates, particularly among women, are drastically rising in Afghanistan, often aggravated by economic hardships and family issues. Many women find it difficult to seek help due to required male accompaniment for travel.
The institute is so overwhelmed that families like that of 16-year-old Zainab, who was shackled at home to prevent her from escaping, have struggled for a year to secure admission for their daughter. After enduring trauma from a bombing at her school, Zainab’s mental health deteriorated significantly, forcing her into a facility designed to cater to the very women who society at large has neglected.
As patients like Mariam, Habiba, and Zainab remain captive to circumstance, the broader realities of Afghan women's mental health quickly emerge—a stark reminder that many are trapped in shadows of violence and repression, waiting for a hope that seems increasingly out of reach. The women at Qala represent not only a personal tragedy but also a larger national crisis reflective of Afghanistan's enduring struggles under the Taliban’s rule.
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
