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Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
Afghan female prisoners spend time inside the courtyard of the women's prison on October 22, 2010 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.
Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
Sakina (L) , 4, and Khujesta,5, play inside the women's prison where they live with their mothers in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.
Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
Shawal Jamila,19, smokes a cigarette inside the women's prison in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. Accused of bad behavior, she ran away from home with her boyfriend and has been in prison for five-months.
Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
Zuhra holds her son Sahil, five-months-old, inside her room at the women's prison in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. Zuhra has been accused of killing her husband and unless lawyers can reverse the sentence she will have to serve at least five years.
Paula Bronstein, a senior staff photographer for Getty Images based in Bangkok, has traveled to Afghanistan every year since 2001. I asked her to comment on a photo essay she recently did on an Afghan women's prison in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Here's what she told me:
I rarely choose to embed with the military, preferring to focus on the daily life of Afghans. I wanted to visit women’s prisons where the stories highlight the problems that women face in a country where basic human rights and the rule of law don’t work in their favor. Often the courts defer to Islamic Sharia law, which has wide variety of interpretations, rather than following the laws in the books. In October, I wanted to follow up on the state of women and the legal system so I chose to visit a women’s prison that I hadn’t been to before in Mazar-e-Sharif, a smaller city where gaining access was more manageable. Many of the incarcerated females are being held for moral crimes, some even for bad behavior. These crimes include such offenses as running away from home, refusing to marry, marriage without proper family consent and attempted adultery. In the worst cases, women are detained for many years. Children are allowed to live with their mothers at the prison up to a certain age, residing in small dormitory rooms. Upon their release, many of the women have no home to go to and end up at a woman’s shelter until a more permanent solution is found.
I was impressed by these women -- they were brave. Just the act of smoking cigarettes was a surprise to me because you rarely ever see women smoke here. I brought small gifts of shampoo, soap, washing powder and toys for the children. The women were delighted to have a strange guest even though we had to speak through a translator. I took as many pictures as I could because I wasn't sure when they were going to usher me away. Though I only spent a few hours at a time in my three visits, I sensed their loss of hope and a sadness. I tried to imagine running away from home, then being jailed just because of a boyfriend or an unhappy marriage. The women have no real freedom, even when not imprisoned. I hope by telling their story I can help them in some way.
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amazing set, I'd love to see more
Great photos, photography at its best.
I lived in Iran for several years and saw first hand how the females were viewed. They were seldom allowed to go out of their homes, if they did venture out they had to be covered and accompanied by someone else (normally another female).
These women look like the ones at our Walmart, I try not to go there either.
This is what some of our own women here in the U.S. would have us do to our own people, if it were possible. The Afghans are trapped in a primitive society, with primitive rules and primitive morals.
Yet, but for a small difference, this is the type of punitive measures many here in the U.S. would advocate for our own.
How sad, for both our societies,
And what do you look like?
Can somebody remove this comment?
Did you notice the fingers of the woman holding her baby. She was accused of killing her husband. Do you think those are scares, or some sort of tattoo?
Actually, I imagined the conditions to be a lot worse than I see in these images. At least they are allowed to keep their children, which would never happen here!
There is a slight difference... they didn't actually do anything wrong. Women typically only get locked up in the US if they are convicted of doing something wrong in a trial by jury. OK I think our drug laws are unjust but we don't lock people up for refusing to marry.
This is a preindustrial society in the grips of superstition and magical thinking. Things won't get better there for decades, if ever.
Aussie: would you want to have your child grow up in a prison? I would not.
I suspect the marks on the woman's fingers are mehndi, designs drawn on the skin using a paste made of henna.
maybe they are "count" lines... they are most likely art work. I think these women are INCREDIBLY lucky to have their children with them. Who knows what would happen to them if left with relatives? they may become sex slaves, orphans... I think it is an incredible kindness to allow these children to stay with their mothers. A mothers love is comapable to NOTHING. These young kids wont know the difference in the prison walls or the prison walls of a home. They just want to be with mommy. thanks for the story and pictures.
It's a henna tattoo (or stain) and very traditional in Islam around the time of Eid-ul-Fitr, it follows Ramadan. The tattoos are very decorative and last a long time. Very interesting article and beautiful pictures considering the circumstances.
I agree with "monilove". They have to be some sort of tattoo. Look a few pics above that one, at the two female children (Sakina & Khujesta) playing with their hands, they have the exact same markings!
A woman is accused of murdering her husband and could be released after five years? Doesn't sound like such a bad place. Let that be a lesson to you, if you're unhappy with your husband, move to afghanistan.
Released to what though? Women in Afghanistan are perpetual prisoners.
i wish i would of known in afganistan you could get off after 5 years for killing your husband... i would of moved over there years ago...lol...jk
hey david...you're an @!$%#
These women and their children are imprisoned on supposed "crimes" that we wouldn't even consider a crime here in America, and the only 2 other comments is how great the photos are? I'm shocked....and speechless.
Of course this is a bad situation Sandra but should we constantly weep and wail and pound the table in outrage? What would you have us do? Do you have some advice regarding bring down the theocratic dictatorship in Iran?
Women in prison always remind me of Chained Heat with Linda Blair.
So these women really haven't committed any crimes by western standards. They just exhibited common independence and refused to be slaves.
I'm left speechless.
I suspect the marks on the woman's fingers are mehndi, designs drawn on the skin using a paste made of henna.
I thank God each day that I live in a free country, where I can think as I like, dress as I choose, with my head unbowed and uncovered and where I have the opportunity (if I so desired) to run for the Big Chair (IE: potus) God Bless the great and wonderful country!
The lack of love Middle Eastern men have for their wives, daughters, sisters is incomprehensible. They really are mired in the Dark Ages. Almost as strange are the American Islamic women who think this is a good way to go. Way beyond clueless.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm happily married to a ME man for more than 19 years.
He's the best thing that ever happened to me. We have two fantastic children and are living the good life in So. Cal. We visit family in the ME every year and have a wonderful, loving relationship with our extended family.
Your generalization shows a lack of knowlege on an intellectual level that is embarrassing and "clueless"!
Just out of curiosity, would you consider to live in the Middle East? Or, do you prefer living in the US?
Auzziegirl - I'm glad you're happy.
admire the work you are doing. Only exposure tothe rest of the world will give power tothe women in these countries where good cultures have been corrupted by the power seeking, control freak (coward men who can excercise power on somebody less powerful, but dare not challenge a man like that) men using distorted interpretations as a shield. I will use Sharon's (MAN UP MAN) for these men and come out of the caves and have a fight with a man not use these beautiful, loving, caring mothers, wifes and WOMEN.
The marks are mehndi; the child in the second picture playing on the right (Khujesta ) has the same ones.
and to think they are allowing shari law in europe, and considering it here in america.
where in the heck did you hear that Sharia law is even being considered in the US? You must be a tea bagger.
Excuse me? What is your source for this information? Where in Europe are they allowing Sharia law? And where did you learn it's being considered in America? By whom?
That is about the stupidist statement I've heard in a long time.
It appears that none of them choose to wear their burqas. This causes me to believe that they seem more liberated here in "prison" than out in society.
They are only required to wear a burqa around men.
These women were found guilty of brazenly tearing the tags off of mattresses.
That is ALOT better than American Prisons. American's need to see exactly what their money pays for. No American mother ever gets to live with her children. Social services places her kids in another mother's home. American prisons are pathetic and this only shows how pathetic. All prisons are bad and I do not mean to say that the women in these Afghanistan prisons have an easy life just the comparison is obvious.
think about the kids? wouldn't they be better off being placed in foster care? after they can't stay in the prision anymore they probably have no where to go
Foster care in Aghanistan? Really? If it's bad here, can you imagine what it might be like there ... if it even exists? Please don't wish that on any child, especially one who has a mother who loves them.
Georgia Hull, "pathetic" is a fairly strong inditement for that portion of our criminal justice system that helps keeps you safe, both day and night. Do you consider our prison system pathetic because you or a family member has served time? I was just curious, as to what you base your beliefs on. The last time I checked, people are sentenced to prison as a punishment for breaking the laws of our society. As such, that person loses their freedom as well as certain "rights" and "privileges", which certainly includes time with their family/children. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. But on a more practical level, why should either, the County, State or Federal Government Penal Systems pick up the direct cost of providing security for, or housing for, or feeding, or providing clothing for, or providing education curriculum for, or providing medical care for, an inmate's (Mother or Father) children. No American Mother or Father should ever be allowed to raise their child/children within the confines of a prison. That is not the purpose of prisons. There is a simple remedy to this situation, if you have children, live your life accordingly, don't commit a crime that could result in being sentenced to prison.
Let's wait what our Republicans of christian faith propose; not only women here have more difficulty to have an abortion even when they were raped or the pregnancy jeopardize their health, now many of these Christian politicians argue that women cannot divorce their husbands, even in cases of domestic violence , and that women should obey to their husbands. I myself got out from abusive marriage which was very difficult even with the liberal laws, and I am horrified what these politicians envision for this country. They do not want to accept that there is the separation between religion and state. I do not want here Sharia law neither want I here a Christian nation
shut up, or you'll get what's coming to you!!
I'm sorry that you have suffered a bad marriage, but what you're saying is a complete load of crap. Show me any documented link where some politician, any politician, says that a woman can't divorce because of domestic violence.
And you obviously don't know what "separation between church and state" actually means. Go back to your history books. Our founding fore fathers came to this continent because King George started his own church to divorce his current wife. The Catholic church wouldn't let him do that. As a result he started persecuting others if they didn't join. They left England for religious freedom.
The separation between church and state is that the state should not have a sponsered religion, but that all religions should be treated equally. Like it or not our U.S. country is founded on strong Christian beliefs. While I don't disagree that there are problems, it is also the reason why this country is strong.
This country will never be a sharia state. Be informed before you post, and if you are going to make outragious accusations, please show some proof.
Ummm, sorry Saxman - just one note - it was Henry Tudor (Henry VIII) not King George, who started the Anglican Church (Church of England). George III was on the throne during the American Revolution - over 200 years later.
"...founded on strong Christian beliefs." Indentured servants, slavery, and-oh yeah-almost rule by the aristocracy (Hamilton vs Jefferson). . .Yeah, right. I would say this nation was founded on universal beliefs and principles that were around well before the advent of Christianity. Islam is not the only religion with a history of violating the principles they espouse. The pursuit of power and control is best accomplished when the corrupt disguise their ambitions under the cloak of religion. The founding fathers were well aware of the blood-soaked history of Europe that resulted from religious fervor. They knew that Democracy is best preserved by keeping church and state separated.
BMC-Saxman - google Sharia law in EU and US. I just did got numerous hits discussing attempts to push through Sharia law in Europe and even in the United States. Very, very scary -
My ancestors were French Hugenots (Protestants) and in France, a Catholic country, were subject to the Death Penalty for practicing their religion. So they fled and came to America. At that time it was a capital offense in England if you practiced Catholicism. Thankfully our founding fathers were aware of the tyrannical tendencies of religious Zealots and included the Seperation of Church and State Concept into the Constitution. It would have been better if they just excluded all religion as it has been a Divisive factor in our Nation.
Why do we care, and how can we judge right and wrong. This culture is as alien to us in the USA as bacteria are to us. How can we judge wether their crimes are of such magnitude to deserve such punishment. We have no concept of the way they think. The crimes cited , to us are insignificant. Yet to them they are greivious, thousands of years of their culture has decided that. How arrogant are you who judge them thru your cultural eyes.
We would all be better served if we concentrated on our own failures.
Auzziegirl - I'm glad you're happy.
And just what did she have to suffer through which made her snap and kill him? I can only imagine how they are treated... physical abuse, torture, anything!
Just to clarify - these pictures were taken in Afghanistan - not Iran.
I say GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!
I look at the young lady holding the cigarette and think; she didn't do anything wrong!
"Bad Behavior"? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Then of course the realization that this is not NYC or LA this is a bad-island of human rights decimation --makes you glad as hell the people who founded this country separated church and state as it has been....this far.
Look out for those trying to shift that paradigm.