In the Shadow of Drugs: Afghan Women and Children

Karima is 35 years old. She has been married for 20 years, and she has taken drugs ever since: First cannabis and cigarettes, later opium and heroin. She started with smoking and later turned to injecting -- until all her veins dried up. “I started with smoking hashish a year after my wedding. My husband gave it to me,” says Karima. “First I refused, but he was stronger. He beat me and forced me to smoke hashish, opium and cigarettes."

Suppressing hunger with opium

Karima is from the mountainous Panjshir region in northern Afghanistan, where the climate is harsh and many people live in tents, including her. Because of the cold and humidity, many are suffering from urinary tract infections, cold and flu. But especially for women it is difficult to get medicines, which is why many suppress illnesses, pain and also their daily hunger with opium.

"When I smoked hashish for the first time it made me feel numb,” says Karima. “I didn't feel my problems any more and was completely calm. When we only had lunch and nothing to eat for dinner, we didn't mind because we smoked and didn't feel the hunger. All our problems were gone."

Problems which are manifold especially for women. Like Karima, many are victims of domestic violence, mainly by their husbands.

Children getting addicted too

Married at a young age, they often are burdened with all the household chores to make life easier for their elder sister-in-laws or their mother-in-law. When they feel they cannot handle it any more, many women start taking drugs, says David McDonald. The Scottish drug expert has been working in Afghanistan's northern provinces for years. "Mothers particularly will give drugs to very young children, really to pacify them, to control them,” says McDonald. “So a particular problem in the north is in some communities that weave carpets. Weaving carpets is a back-breaking work. Women have to work 12, 14 hours a day just to make a living. So if you are a woman and you're doing this type of work, and you have to look after a young child, a baby or two, three toddlers -- you give them a small pinch of opium in order to let you continue with your work!"

But in this way, even small children get addicted. Many women who give their children opium or hashish against cough or just to calm them down, don't know the dangers of these drugs.

Difficulties in detoxification

Shinkai works with Nejat, Kabul's drug rehab center. She knows how difficult it is to treat addicted women and their children, to reach them in the first place. “We drive through the city and the countryside and visit people at home. First, we don’t tell them that we've come because of drugs. We tell them we're looking after their kids and if everything is alright at home, if everyone's in good health. Only after the women begin to trust us, we tell them we're from the Nejat Center."

But in the whole country, there are only 40 drug rehab clinics, with a capacity of around 20 patients each. Doctors and experts agree that this is not enough as there are new addicts each day.

Author: Melanie Riedel/Thomas Bärthlein
Editor: Disha Uppal