Reportages of Balkh region I: On way to school

Two little giggling girls stand under the shade of a tree, waiting for the group of passing school girls. You can recognize the school girls from a distance because they wear dark clothing and a light head scarf. Usually they wear cheap plastic slippers. In the larger cities the streets are filled with a fluttering flow of a mixture of black and white after school. In the country all the children come from different areas so the groups are smaller. Women and girls in Afghanistan try to move in groups because it is safer that way.
When the girls are at an age where they are considered adults, they have to wear a chador or a burqa, which covers the whole body. Girls are considered adults at a very young age – two thirds of the girls are married before the age of sixteen. How much you need to cover depends on the region, the ethnicity, and the traditions. In the country it is more common to completely cover than it is in the capital Kabul.
Working in the fields women don't cover, when there is an approaching car or man then the burqa is pulled over the head. It is important to always behave decently. In Afghanistan this means that a woman should cover her self from the sight of strange men. This is why schools and homes are always behind high walls. Whether they are family or school girls their honor must always be protected.
Most of the students don't live near their schools, to get to school students usually have to walk many kilometers. Young girls are not driven to school; this is a privilege only married older women enjoy. The school girls do not complain, on the contrary. When I asked the girls when they miss a day of school, they are quiet, finally they answer:”only when we are sick”.