Women risk the blasts or sexual assault in Pakistani-held Kashmir
Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian government, cross-border shelling between Pakistan and India has intensified along the Line of Control in Kashmir, sending more families rushing to community bunkers when the alarm sirens ring, particularly on the Pakistani side.But some girls and young women are being left behind by their families — choosing to risk the falling shells rather than face the sexual assault in the cramped bunkers.One of those staying home is Mehnaz, a 25-year-old, who says she will not be going back to a bunker unless things change.When mortars started slamming into her village in the Neelum Valley on the Pakistani-held side in August, Mehnaz and her family fled to a musty bunker owned by her neighbor, she said. Dozens of people were crammed in for hours
