Kidnapping is a fact of life for young women in Afghanistan. One minute they’re enjoying life with their family, the next they’ve been taken away and married to a stranger.

“Thread,” a documentary about women, the needle and thread and the effects of perpetual war in Afghanistan, exposes the dire situations in this foreign land, a land where more American soldiers are arriving every day to live and fight.

Personal freedoms and basic economic opportunities taken for granted in the United States are fleeting at best in Afghanistan. Women’s rights are nearly non-existent. A trip to the doctor often requires the approval of a brother or husband. And if you’re an unmarried woman, being kidnapped is always a possibility.

On top of all the social oppression, decades of war in the Afghanistan has made widows of thousands of women. Between being rousted overnight out of  their homes by the Taliban, or having to deal with a random rocket attack, many of these women have had to rely on their sewing and embroidery skills for survival.

“Thread,” showing now exclusively on The Documentary Channel, documents the daily grind of life in Afghanistan, but also it captures a bit of hope from American shores that arrives to help out. This hope is an American volunteer group called the Business Council for Peace. It allows a group of Afghan seamstresses a chance to visit New York City and learn from professional designers and tailors there what might help the women sell, at home and abroad, the clothes they produce in Afghanistan.

 “We have not brought you here to make American clothing, because certainly Americans don’t make American clothing,” says Toni Maloney, chair woman of the business council. “We have brought you here because we know that 25 years of war have kept you isolated from quality standards in the world. What we’re hoping that you learn is to take that Afghan style, Afghan soul, and make better quality garments and accessories at better prices.”

Once in New York, the Afghan women visit clothing workshops, meet designers and talk with boutique owners, one of whom actually places a large order of crocheted clothes for infants. To cap off their adventure, the group is allowed to worship inside a mosque, something women are not permitted to do in Afghanistan.

The mosque visit, itself powerful enough, is followed by the women attending a Memorial Day parade just outside the city. It brings several of them to tears. The tears come because they know this celebration of freedom not include them. They must go back home into “the fire” and oppression of their own country. Do yourself a favor and take the time out to watch “Thread.” It goes beyond black-and-white news headlines in the United States to reveal the real issues we are fighting for in Afghanistan.

By Gregory Crofton