Blog #7 Abuse Often Follows Afghans to America

Abuse of Afghan women often follows them to the United States. This abuse is crossing international borders due to culture and religion these women are coming to America expecting a new life only to find that the old traditions flourish here and sometimes even stronger than in their home land.
The Afghan government has criticized the county's shelters for battered women and has even moved to take them over. Immigrants to America resist full assimilation they hold fast to their very conservative and traditional practices. Domestic violence is common in this culture and the belief that they are their husband’s property is very strong. These women fear retribution from families and a stigma in the Afghan society.
The Afghan immigrants settling in destinations like New York, where women’s advocates are discovering how wide spread the problem of domestic violence is within this population. Women are not only being abused by their spouses but by other family members as well. This abuse is often committed in front of other family member with their approval. A chief case manager for Women for Afghan Women suspects that most of the 300 women the center serves have been abused.
Many women have sought resource through the court system, but many have been resolved through the mediation of religious and tribal leaders which is an alternative to the Western one size fits all approach. Domestic violence within the America Afghan population is still substantial but there is progress being made by utilizing Afghan traditions and resolving many disputes through the traditional jirga.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/nyregion/28abuse.html?_r=1