Halima Kazem

Halima Kazem is an investigative journalist who writes about human rights and social justice issues in the United States and abroad. She spent 10 years reporting on the war and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan. Her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Al Jazeera America, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Christian Science Monitor. She is the author of a children’s book, the co-producer of a documentary film about the first woman who ran for president in Afghanistan and a journalism lecturer at San Jose State University.

Incarceration

barbed wire with a prison watch tower in the background

I Was ‘Sent to the Hole’ for Trying to Stop a Suicide

By: Halima Kazem | September 9, 2016

Now, other prisoners will be afraid to help stop someone from killing themselves, the woman says. The incident occurred at a California facility under scrutiny for a lax approach to suicide prevention and mental health.

Incarceration

Suicides Put California Women’s Prison Under Mental Health Scrutiny

By: Halima Kazem | August 1, 2016

In January, suicide-prevention practices at the California Institution for Women were found to be lacking. Now, two suicides and 10 attempts later, an advocacy group is petitioning state lawmakers to do something.

domestic workers

Domestic Workers in California Anxiously Eye Expiration Date on Bill of Rights

By: Halima Kazem | May 10, 2016

“We no longer worry about not having enough money for food and other necessities,” says a woman who cares for an elderly client part time and cleans houses. But will a law that helped double her wages be tossed out or made permanent?

Arts & Culture

Afghan First Lady Remains Hidden from Public View

By: Halima Kazem | September 13, 2002

Zeenat Karzai, spouse of the president of Afghanistan, lives behind locked doors in fear of being kidnapped. Some of the country’s women say she should emerge to affirm their rights and be a role model. Also, Postal Service honors female journalists.