‘I feel I am not alone anymore’: Afghan woman shot in face by her husband is building a new life in Canada

Shakila Zareen was shot by man she was forced to marry at 16

26/March/2019

Shakila Zareen and her mother Sharman at their home in Vancouver. Along with Shakila’s sister, they came to Canada as refugees in Jan.  a young woman who had fled Afghanistan after being shot in the face by the man she was forced to marry.

Along with her mother and sister, Zareen came to Canada at the start of 2018, and began to rebuild their lives. Over the past year, the 23-year-old has been navigating her new life in Vancouver, making new friends and rebuilding her confidence.

“I feel I am not alone anymore,” Zareen told CBC’s Laura Lynch, who has been with the young woman for many of the milestones she’s reached in Canada.

Those milestones include extensive surgery to help with her horrific injuries, and meeting with high-level politicians