KABUL (SW) – The working women forced to stay home after the restrictions imposed on them want to return to their jobs.
Sahar Rahimi, a 22-year-old girl, worked for seven years in various media outlets, including the national radio-television and Khavar and Star televisions, as a reporter and host, and then in the press department of the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs. She said that with the money she received, she could cover her and her family’s daily expenses, but according to her, now she is faced with so many hardships.
Sahar says that due to economic problems, she had to return with her family from Kabul to her hometown in Ghor. According to her, she worked in a foreign institution for about four months, but after some time this institution has also been closed. Sahar, who is now unemployed, added: “After the fall of the government, I became unemployed and came to Ghor. My father is sick and was not able to work and I had to work.”
Sahar, who now lives in a rented house, says that since several months, she has applied to various places to find a job, but she still hasn’t managed to get the job that made her think of suicide. “Spiritually, I am very disappointed in life. Three months ago I was in a very bad state and I went to a psychologist. If I didn’t go, I might have committed suicide.”
Similarly, Fereshta Yousefi, one of the female prosecutors who worked in the General Prosecutor’s Office for three years in the previous government and lost her job after the establishment of the Islamic Emirate, says that in addition to economic problems, she is also facing security threats. She added that she had to change her place of residence several times. Fereshta said: “Some women were the only breadwinners and widows. We have not been able to go to duty for two years. I visited several places, we were told that this is not your place.”
In addition, a number of women who were the sole breadwinners of their families have also become unemployed after the establishment of the Islamic Emirate. They told Salam Watandar that after years of studying and working, now they are struggling with poverty by imposing restrictions and losing their jobs.
Soraya Rouhi, who worked in the anti-corruption commission in the previous government, said men have been appointed in places vacated by women. “We are psychologically damagedand desperate about our future. We studied in a very difficult situation and now we are rejected and ignored again. With this situation, we think that one day, there may not be any class called women in the society.”
Rouhi added that after trying many times to find a job in a non-governmental organization where she worked for three months, she is now unemployed again.
In continuation of the increasing restrictions on women, theIslamic Emirate has also banned the activities of women in domestic and foreign non-governmental institutions, as a result of which, a large number of female employees of these institutions have become unemployed.
While Jan Eglund, the Secretary General of the NRC, told Salam Watandar a while ago that after his latest meeting and talks with the officials of the Islamic Emirate, he hoped that the female employees of this organization would return to work. But now Abdulrahman Habib, the spokesman of the Ministry of Economy, says that the suspension of women’s work will continue until further notice. He added: “In this case, so far the previous letter issued by the Ministry of Economy can be applied and implemented.”
ENDS
