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The Mary Foundation awards its special donation to a women’s shelter in Afghanistan

There is a secret location in Kabul where 70 women and children live. They have escaped brutal violence and now live cut off from the outside world due to the risk of being murdered by their families. Mary Akrami is the woman behind the shelter, which is one of the few places where Afghan women can seek safety. The Mary Foundation awards its special donation of USD 50,000 for 2018 to this women’s shelter.

Fatima was only five years old when her father sold her to an older handicapped man for about DKK 24,000. When she turned 12, she was sent to live with the deaf-mute man.

For two years, she was beaten and abused. Until she plucked up the courage to escape. Out into the unknown. Fatima was lucky to end up at the women’s shelter in Kabul. Had her family found her, she would have been killed.

This was the story author and journalist Simi Jan shared on Children’s Day in November 2018. Among those in the audience was Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who is deeply committed to the global fight for women’s rights, and who, through the work carried out by The Mary Foundation, actively works to combat domestic violence.

After listening to Simi Jan’s description of the women’s brutal fates and shelter’s difficult financial circumstances, The Mary Foundation approached the Danish Embassy in Kabul, UN Women, Danner and other organisations to find out more about the women’s shelter. The feedback was extremely positive, which made it easy to choose the recipient of The Mary Foundation’s special donation for 2018:

“Women’s rights in Afghanistan are under pressure on many levels. Afghan women grapple with destructive and powerful social norms that make them extremely vulnerable. Mary Akrami has dedicated her life to helping women and children and is a strong spokesperson in the fight to change conditions for women in Afghanistan. This requires exceptional courage and has also made her a target for those who don’t want change. We would like to use The Mary Foundation’s special donation to support her impressive and profound work,” explained HRH Crown Princess Mary.

Part of the independent Afghan Women Skills Development Center, the women’s shelter was established by Mary Akrami in 2003 as the country’s first women’s shelter. The almost 70 women and children who are currently living at the crisis centre are safe, but are nevertheless still scarred physically and psychologically by their violent experiences. Fearing for their lives, they do not leave the shelter and instead spend their time healing and regaining their faith in a life without violence.

“I am deeply grateful for and delighted to receive this wonderful donation. It means a lot, because it makes me feel that I am not alone. Women’s shelters are under threat because there are many forces that want them closed. But I will continue the fight. It is my mission in life.  I will continue to fight for my fellow sisters’ basic rights, such as the right to education, access to medical care and the right to control one’s own body – and for them not to be treated as a man’s property but as equals. This donation will be spent on education, medical care, legal assistance and increased security. Additional funds also enable me to accept more women into the crisis centres, and that means the world to women in mortal danger,” expressed founder and leader Mary Akrami from Kabul.

Every year, the Crown Princess presents The Mary Foundation’s special donation to a project or organisation that has shown particular potential.

The Mary Foundation's special donation

The Mary Foundation’s special donation has been awarded to various other projects in the past, including:

  • Neighbourhood Mothers, The Foundation for Social Responsibility (DKK 250,000)
  • Danish Refugee Council’s work in neighbouring regions (DKK 250,000)
  • Women Deliver, stipends to 14 young leaders (DKK 250,000)
  • Brothers For Life, South Africa (DKK 250,000)
  • Fórum Mulher, Mozambique (DKK 250,000)
  • Orchid Project (DKK 50,000) The “Africa Now” fundraising campaign (DKK 200,000)
  • Maternity Worldwide, Ethiopia (DKK 250,000)

Facts about women’s rights in Afghanistan

  • The Constitution of Afghanistan introduced in 2004 states:
    “Any kind of discrimination and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan shall be forbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, man and woman, have equal rights and duties before the law.” Article 22 of The Constitution of Afghanistan.
  • Despite the Constitution, many regions in Afghanistan are controlled by traditional tribal leaders and religious/cultural traditions that hinder equality. Many Afghans therefore still regard traditions and religious law as superior to judicial law. Source: Human Rights Watch
  • Only a fraction of the actual cases of violence against women in Afghanistan are reported. Source: Human Rights Watch
  • The majority of the cases of violence are addressed through mediation due to pressure from family members and the judicial system. Mediation deprives women of access to the courts and prevents the safeguarding of fundamental rights.ource: The UN report “Injustice and Impunity: Mediation of Criminal Offences of Violence against Women”, 2018. S
  • It is estimated that 87 % of women in Afghanistan experience physical, sexual or psychological violence at some point during their lives. Source: UN Women
  • Until the 1970s, Afghanistan experienced steady progress with respect to women’s rights. Source: Amnesty International
  • 27.7 % of Afghanistan’s parliament members are women. Source: UN Women

Afghan Women Skills Development Center

  • Just under 70 women and children currently live in the women’s shelter.
  • The women’s shelter opened in 2003. Since then, at least 3,500 women have lived at this secret address for shorter or longer periods.
  • The centre has also helped thousands of other girls who have not stayed at the women’s shelter, by providing them with financial or legal support, for example.
  • Mary Akrami is the founder of the women’s shelter and has managed it ever since its inception.

Read more about the Afghan Women Skills Development Center

Mary Fonden
Når pædagoger, lærere og forældre sammen sætter fokus på det gode børnefællesskab og på at lære børn og unge, at mobning er uacceptabelt, så virker det...
Kronprinsessen hyldede partnerskabet og brede alliancer i arbejdet med at bekæmpe komplekse sociale...
Vores samarbejde med MH24 - Mikkel Mod Mobning har knopskudt, og vi har netop lanceret Antibulli-prisen...
mary_fonden Vold skal opdages, før den kan stoppes. Irene Rude Giversen er jordemoder på Hvidovre Hospital. I coronatiden må hun tage første konsultation med gravide over telefonen. Hun er del af vores projekt ‘Sammen uden vold’, hvor vi bl.a. har uddannet alle jordemødre på Amager og Hvidovre Hospital til at opspore vold mellem par, der venter barn. “Det betyder, at vi finder nogle, der ellers var gledet under radaren, og vi kan give dem en bedre behandling, end vi ellers vi kunne have gjort,” siger Irene Rude Giversen. Projektet er et samarbejde med Dialog mod Vold, Amager og Hvidovre Hospital og Østifterne.
mary_fonden Mobning findes på alle skoler. Men langt fra alle lærere føler sig rustede til at håndtere eller forebygge mobning. Det er afgørende, at alle på skolen har en opdateret viden om, hvad mobning er, og at alle ved, hvad deres rolle og ansvar som voksne er. Det har nemlig stor betydning for både forebyggelse af mobning og håndtering, at de voksne på skolen har en ensrettet tilgang til arbejdet med elevernes fællesskaber. Netop det er Skolestyrken sat i verden for. Skolestyrken er Mary Fonden, @bornsvilkar og @redbarnetdks nye skoletrivselsprogram, som støtter skoler i at opbygge et beredskab, så alle er forberedt, og alle trækker i samme retning. Du kan læse mere om det på skolestyrken.dk #alleharrettilathøretil
mary_fonden I 2019 var der 6867 anmeldelser om fysisk vold mod børn ifølge @bornsvilkars nye rapport om svigt af børn i Danmark. Det tal er steget hvert år siden 2014. Rapporten viser desuden, at kun 50 procent af de adspurgte voksne ville underrette om vold mod et barn. I Mary Fonden arbejder vi for at bekæmpe vold i familier, fordi ingen børn skal vokse op i hjem, hvor de udsættes for vold eller overværer vold. Det gør vi bl.a. med vores projekt 'Sammen uden vold', hvor vi sammen med Dialog mod Vold, Østifterne og Amager og Hvidovre Hospital opkvalificerer social- og sundhedspersonale omkring de gravide på hospitalet, så de er rustet til at opspore vold og tilbyde hjælp til familierne allerede under graviditeten.
mary_fonden Stærke børnefællesskaber uden mobning er grundlæggende for børns trivsel og udvikling. Men hvad skal lærere og pædagoger være opmærksomme på i arbejdet med forebyggelse og håndtering af mobning? Det er fokus i vores fagbog om mobning. Bogen er udgivet i samarbejde med @redbarnetdk og @akademisk_forlag, og kan hentes gratis på friformobberi.dk #friformobberi
mary_fonden Trivsel i skolen er ikke kun bundet til det klasseværelse, eleverne sidder i, men til hele deres hverdag på skolen. Det er udgangspunktet for Skolestyrken, som er Mary Fonden, @bornsvilkar og @redbarnetdk nye skoletrivselsprogram. Programmet er et såkaldt helskoleprogram – det betyder, at vi arbejder med trivselsfremme, forebyggelse og håndtering af mobning på HELE skolen frem for kun med enkelte elever eller enkelte klasser. Internationale studier peger nemlig på, at de mest effektive antimobbeprogrammer søger at ændre kulturen på skolen ved at arbejde på flere niveauer og sætte ind flere steder på én gang og ved at involvere alle voksne og børn på skolen. Læs mere i link i bio 👆🏼#skolestyrken #alleharettilathøretil #trivsel #mobning #skole