Educational Opportunities for Afghan Women

Last week's edition of Time detailed some of the issues faced by girls and women in Afghanistan. Previously, education for females was outlawed, but a few schools operated in secret. Now over three thousand schools offer classes, but little else. Many are extremely primitive. The meager supplies and often poorly trained teachers do not promote significant progress for the females who are interested in education.

Some girls and women do not learn because of cultural reasons. Schools hire men, and the women do not want to interact with nonrelatives. Even as a member of a conservative culture, this is difficult for me to understand. Reading and writing are such an integral part of my life. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to become literate and to use these skills for communication, recreation,and growth.

Shameful Institutionalization of the Mentally Retarded

Where were the families of these people? Only a couple decades ago, people with mental retardation were institutionalized. Supervised by far too few staff, they sat around rocking back and forth. Some were naked. Some were restrained. The stench was overwhelming. All who could not feed themselves were given white mush as fast as possible. Disgusting. No human deserves this type of treatment.

We watched part of this video in class so history does not repeat itself. I hope this part never does.