Afghanistan

I Was Thinking of Suicide

I am a lonely woman with two children.

Written by Amy Stevenson
Photography by Lindsay Silsby
Morena, Afghanistan

My name is Morena. I am pregnant and have two children with my husband. In Afghanistan, my husband was a truck driver. He carried fuel and gas while working for an American company. During the night, [the Taliban] appeared in front of his truck and took it. They were about to attack him when he escaped. We felt we were all in danger, so we came here. There were problems on the way. We had so many problems.

We finally arrived in Greece on a ship, but then we were separated. Because I was pregnant, they allowed me and my children to continue to the mainland, but they kept my husband in the camp on the island. It is not acceptable to separate a husband and wife, but it happened. This is what the Greek police did to us.

After my husband and I became separated, I stayed in a park with my two young children for two weeks. I was thinking of suicide. What other decision could there be? I was so tired of life. My brother found me and brought us to this camp. I was very tired.

My husband is still in the camp on the island, and we are still separated. They won’t allow him to come here, and I don’t want to go there because the conditions are terrible in the camp, and my doctor says I should stay here for the safety of my unborn baby. I am a lonely woman with two children.

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