Infertility in women sometimes leads to violence, divorce

ZARANJA (Pajhwok): A number of infertile women in Nimroz province complain they are subjected to physical violence by their husbands and in-laws and say they should not be treated like criminals, but humanely.

A religious scholar says violence against infertile women is illegal and against the holy religion of Islam and a gynecologist says men can also be infertile and women can become mothers through treatment and surgery.

Razagul (not real name), a native of Badghis, came to Nimroz province almost 20 years ago after her marriage and now she lives in Dilaram district. She told Pajhwok that she underwent many treatments, but could not become mother.

She said after eight years of their marriage, her husband remarried and now they have 10 children.

She said: “Because I was infertile, my husband would buy everything for his second wife and would meet her demands. He used to say I will have children from her and you are a fruitless tree, every member of his family would say the same words to me, my husband would spend three nights with his second wife and one night with me”.

She started crying while telling her bitter memories of life and said: “Infertility is not a crime. Not becoming mother is not my fault. I lived like a maid in my husband’s house. When I was sick, my husband would not take me to the doctor.”

She described one of her bitter memories: “Once my husband beat me so much that I fell in the kitchen and a nail pierced my leg... Later, my leg became infected, it was very painful, I could not walk, but I would do housework and he showed no mercy on me.”

She narrated another memory: “One day I was preparing dough when my step-son laid his hands into the water. I told him to go away and my husband heard this and came out of the room. He beat me near death, my nose was broken and it was bleeding, but I didn't stop working until the dough was prepared, even blood drops fell in the flour”.

But it did not end here as her husband decided to send her to her father’s home forever.

It is not only Razagul who faced violence due to impotency, but another woman, 30-year-old Mahjabeen (not her real name) from Khashrud district also suffered years of torture and humiliation until she was divorced last week.

She got married at the age of 15 and spent 15 years in humiliation and violence with her husband's family, but in the last five years, when her husband married another woman, her life became even more bitter.

Mahjabeen added: “When his second wife gave birth to children, my husband’s attitude towards me became more hostile, I was a maid at home, I was working and took care of the children, I was beaten and insulted by my husband and mother-in-law.”

She said some families considered infertile women as criminals, while such women should be treated with kindness.

Mahjabeen, whose parents died years ago and she was raised by her uncle, said: “When my uncle came to know about the cruelty of my husband and his family, he came and separated us. Now I live in my uncle’s house. “

She urged families to treat infertile women humanely and added: “I can’t become a mother, what is my sin, this is written in my destiny.”

These two women want families to treat such women humanely and gently.

Experts’ view

Dr. Yasmin Habibi Akhundzadeh, a surgeon and gynecologist at Zaranj city provincial hospital, told Pajhwok that infertility could occur in both women and men.

According to her, anemia, aging, weak ovaries, hormonal problems, obesity, dysfunction of hormones in the uterus and infections are the causes of infertility in women.

She said in some cases, women could become pregnant with medical treatment and surgery.

Maulvi Gul Ahmad Ahmadi, a religious scholar in Zaranj city, said he had come across such cases many times where women were subjected to violence due to infertility or divorced.

“When a woman is insulted or beaten, oppressed because she cannot become a mother, it is wrong and no religion allows this.”

“Because Allah (SWT) says do not oppress one another, show mercy so that Allah (SWT) may have mercy on you. Anyone who does such a thing is not permissible from the point of view of Islam or any other religion, it is rejected and condemned.”

He added when a woman was being treated inhumanely, she could approach the court and scholars and ask for her legal rights.

He explained that scholars had always preached and advised the people about this and taught them the right way.

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