Renowned American broadcast journalist and television personality Barbara Jill Walters did a story on gender roles in Afghanistan several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.
When she returned to Afghanistan several years later, she observed that women were still walking behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women seemed happy to maintain the old custom.
Ms Walters approached one of the women and asked, "Why do you still follow the old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?"
The woman looked her straight in the eyes, and replied, "Landmines."
