Sahar Gul

Sahar Gul (born 17 June 1998) is an Afghan woman who was subjected to torture and abuse by her husband's family in the town of Puli Khumri when she was illegally married as a child bride. Her case became notable in Afghanistan and internationally when she was rescued in late 2011. The Guardian said that the case of Gul "horrified Afghanistan and prompted a bout of national soul-searching". Gul became the first victim of a crime that was represented by an Attorney for a criminal proceeding. In a landmark decision the Supreme Court, and after the case was decided twice by the Appellate Court, Gul's in-laws, brother and husband who were never originally tried were convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. The court also agreed that Gul could sue all parties for civil compensation. Gul is recovering in a women's shelter and says that she has ambitions to become a politician and stop other women suffering as she did. Following the death of her father she was moved around relatives and eventually lived with her stepbrother when she was aged about 9. She was lying in hay and animal dung at the time of her discovery.

The President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, called for swift justice for Gul. In May 2012, the judge of a district court in Kabul declared Gul's three in-laws guilty, with the judgement broadcast on national television. Their convictions were later upheld on appeal.

In July 2013 Gul's in-laws were released early and their convictions quashed due to a lack of evidence. Gul and her lawyer were not informed of the release of her in-laws and only found out of their release when they enquired after the date for their appeal. Gul lives in a shelter near Kabul run by Women for Afghan Women. The organisation was founded in 2001 and has seven shelters across Afghanistan.