15.05.2003, KABUL The entrance door into the fright of women's prison in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Currently 33 prisoners with 16 children are kept in the women's compound for crimes souch as second marriage, adultery, rape, »running away from home« and consensual sex outside marriage(zina crimes). With these deeds they have deeply dishonoured their tradition - family' s pride and dignity

Thousands of prisoners are being held for long periods in poor conditions such as overcrowded cells, some shackled, with inadequate bedding and food. The Interim Government ratified all major human rights treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Convention against Torture, Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women and Convention on the rights of the Child. But in spite of these binding treaties and lack of financial support the changes have so far been minimal.

In the end of March 2003, a joint commission with Italy as the lead donor of the justice sector was established and a Presidental decree provided legal basis for the transfer of prisons from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice. The act would mean, that prison officials wouldn't be only armed policemen, they would take over the research of crimes and interrogations of detainees, and that would reduce the tortures, with which they forced them to get confessions. But, little is known about it across the country. The main problem still is that police hasn' t got the right tools to investigate the crimes.
Women are often being imprisoned for so called " moral crimes " and receive very little information regarding their cases. The only ones who care are their relatives or human rights organisations. Like men and children, they are being held for months in prisons across the country before having the legality of their detention determined by a judge.

In Afghanistan children are being detained with their parents but there are no systems in place in prison to care for these children.

15.05.2003, KABUL Narrow, long and obscure hallway inside the women's jail in Kabul Welayat.	16.10.2003, Kabul Bibi Ala, 50, was detained and accused of selling drugs. On her way out of Jalalabad to Kabul a business man gave her a package and 5000Afg ( 100$ ) to take it to a shop in Kabul. Then on the Pul-i-Charki check point she, her brother and his wife were all arested. She calims she had no idea what was inside the package.
16.10.2003, KABUL A few months old child of a 25 year old girl named Shikiba. She gave birth while being imprisoned for ten months. She's been put in jail pregnant because of running away from her husband's house with another man.	16.10.2003, Kabul Bibi Ala, 50, was detained and accused of selling drugs. On her way out of Jalalabad to Kabul a business man gave her a package and 5000Afg ( 100$ ) to take it to a shop in Kabul. Then on the Pul-i-Charki check point she, her brother and his wife were all arested. She calims she had no idea what was inside the package.
15.05.2003, Kabul Karima, 14, she refused to marry a much older police commander, who then abducted and raped her. Her parents notified the police and she got imprisoned. Her case she said will finish as soon as she testifys on the court of the police officer's innocence. Her words were: »I'm never going to say something untrue, because what has happened to me can happen to any other girl out in Afghan streets. I would rather take my life.« She is counting her days in front of the calendar.	16.10.2003, Kabul Bathroom inside the jail. Overcrowded, minimum lightened, humid, and in summer hot rooms without fans, dull nutrition, the lack of drinking water and neglected sanitation are causing incessant medical hardships to the detainees. The most frequent are malaria, typhoid, bronchitis, kidney problems, skin diseases, fever, tuberculosis as well as diarrhoea and influenza.
16.10.2003, Kabul Razia, 25, a widow with her two year old daughter. They were put to prison becuse she had a relationship outside of marriage. She's been detained for more than 2 months, and had had attorneys talking to her several times, but she hasn' t got in front of the judge yet. The attorneys told her that her case is not for the court and that they can solve it internal. »I don' t have money for bribes.I'm craying, my daughter is crying, we' re dirty. This is no life, but what shall I do?« were her words.	15.05.2003, Kabul Simaul, 18, from northern province of Herat. Her brother was forcing her into prostitution when after a year she gathered enough courage and ran away from home. She was arrested in Kabul, because of her being registered as missing. She' s looking out of a cell into the prison' s courtyard.
25.05.2003, Kabul Sharifa, 20, with her child Krishma, accused on 8 years of prison. Her husband's brother was harrasing her sexually, that's why she ran away with the boy from the neighbourhood. She wasn' t excepted at her home and then she married again. When her new family found out that she got married for the second time they sent her to a lawyer to get a divorce. He put her to prison. She has no home, no friends and her case is at a stand point. She' s afraid to get out, because her family threatend her to kill her out of adultary.	19.10.2003, Kabul An Afghan dentist Gardizi Ziagul, working for Medica Mondiale, living in Germany returned into her home land after 20 years. The purpose of her visit was to give education to her afghan colleagues and to give a dentistry examination to the women prisoners for the first time.
16.10.2003, Kabul A renovated room full of young girls in a merry mood which is not a very frequent scene.	16.10.2003, Kabul Rabia with her child Samir. She' s a refugee from Pakistan who returned into her homeland with her family. They rented a house in Kabul when the owner one day came to her room and tryed to rape her.The neighbourse heard her screams and called the police. They both got arrested. She's been in detention for two months and her case wasn' t treated yet. She likes literacy courses they have five times per week and would also like to learn english.
16.10.2003, Kabul One of the prison's staff is distributing to the prisoners food from the street and soap bought from their own savings.	16.10.2003, Kabul There are 3 sewing machines for more than 30 prisoners. It's difficult to have some work done.
16.10.2003, Kabul Bibi Hava, 45, pregnent. SHe go timprisoned with her husbands mother for transporting a package with drugs. She's supposed to give birth around Ramazan, but it's not sure, because she hasn' t done any medical shecks.	15.05.2003, Kabul An inner courtyard of the women's jail.
15.05.2003, Kabul Entrance into one of the romms inside of prison.	15.05.2003, Kabul
16.10.2003, Kabul THe front door of the women's jail in Kabul.	15.05.2003, Kabul The manager of women's prison Mrs. Rana. Requierd help and is giving me the numbers of her bank account where the help should be transfered.