Also known as health promoters, peer educators such as Huynh are proving particularly effective at helping newcomers overcome such barriers as lack of insurance, confusion about the U.S. health care system, insufficient information on potentially life-saving cancer screenings and even cultural taboos that make it difficult for some women to acknowledge and seek medical help.

FORBES: Immigrant Health Messengers Jump the Culture Gaps

Violence against women remains under-reported because of "cultural restraints, social norms and taboos... and at times, threat to life, " the report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan says.

BBC: 'Long way to go' on justice for Afghan women - UN