Voters in veils

This fall8217;s parliamentary and presidential elections will be the first time women have ever voted or even registered to vote in Afghanistan. Tribal culture is so strict that even to ask an Afghan the name of his wife is taboo in many places and without the permission of the men of the village, the female team could not even visit the homes.

The idea of having photo identification cards for women has long been dropped. Mostly illiterate, they are now identified by their thumbprints. Small children clambered over their mothers as Zahra wrote out the registration cards on the floor, and Ruzia took thumbprints and sealed the cards in plastic. Few women know their age. The team debated the age of one slight girl who has three children but looks barely 15.

By lunchtime, the team had visited three families, registering six women in each. About half a million more to go. 8212;