The Kashmiri ‘half-widows’
01 - Kashmir thumbnail
02- kashmir thumbnail
03  kashmir thumbnail
04  kashmir thumbnail
05  kashmir thumbnail
06  kashmir thumbnail
07  kashmir thumbnail
08  kashmir thumbnail
09  kashmir thumbnail
10  kashmir thumbnail
11  kashmir thumbnail
12  kashmir thumbnail
13  kashmir thumbnail
14  kashmir thumbnail
15  kashmir thumbnail
16  kashmir thumbnail
17  kashmir thumbnail
18  kashmir thumbnail
19  kashmir thumbnail
20  kashmir thumbnail
21  kashmir thumbnail
22  kashmir thumbnail
23  kashmir thumbnail
24  kashmir thumbnail
25  kashmir thumbnail
26  kashmir thumbnail
27  kashmir thumbnail
28  kashmir thumbnail
29 kashmir thumbnail
30  kashmir thumbnail
31  kashmir thumbnail
32  kashmir thumbnail
01 - Kashmir

A village in north Kashmir

In the conflict ridden valley of Kashmir, they’re called the half-widows. For many years, their husband have disappeared, sometimes without leaving a trace, sometimes arrested without any proof by the Indian army, which never released them or gave any news of their whereabouts. These women suffer both from the depression of a mourning that never really took place and from poverty, depending mostly on the charity of their family or neighbours. Too often, they either had to pull their children out of school to get them to work and help support the family or simply could not pay for school and can’t help their children to get an education.
Completely left out by the Indian authorities, the “half-widows” have lost their hopes for a better life.

[published in Sept, June 2015]