麻豆社

100 women: From the founder of the first female council in Pakistan's Swat valley to the teenage mother and drug dealer turned comedian, we hear stories of women living remarkable lives.

A fascinating insight into what it's like to be a woman living under the control of the extremists who call themselves Islamic State. The Syrian province of Deir Ezzor was taken over by the militants just over a year ago. The 麻豆社 contacted a young woman there, a former teacher, to hear about the pressures they face.

For women who flee from Syria, life in refugee camps can be very difficult. One issue is a shortage of sanitary pads which are not regularly distributed. Amy Peake, from England, is trying to bring a low cost machine to camps to help women make their own. Last month she travelled to the Zaatari (ZART-aree) camp in Jordan where 80,000 Syrian refugees live.

Tabassum Adnan, lives in what must be one of the toughest places in the world to be a woman: the Swat Valley in Pakistan. It was briefly a base for the Taliban - and it remains a very conservative region. Men make many of the decisions in influential community councils, called Jirgas. Tabassum got so fed up with the way women were treated that she started her own Jirga.

Ms Pat is an American comedian who has starred in stand up comedy shows on US TV such as Stand up in Stilettos and Live at Gotham. Yet before the comedy Ms Pat, had a tough start in life; she spent her teenage years selling crack on the streets of Atlanta.

(L) Ms Pat. Credit: Michelle Craig.
(R) Tabassum Adnan. Credit: Khwendo Jirga