TALOQAN (Pajhwok): A number of policewomen in northeastern Takhar province on Saturday complained about problems they faced in line of duty, but hoped things would improve with the passage of time.
There are about 50 female police personnel in Takhar. One of them, Gul Nasa, who joined police more than 10 years ago, told Pajhwok Afghan News that her spirit behind joining the force was to serve the women.
“Our many sisters face a lot of problems, if I was not a policewoman, I would not have been able to help them. Women come to the police headquarters, I help them and search them as well.”
She said she supported her family financially due to her job. She said policewomen besides security threats faced many other problems.
“When I joined the police, our mosque showed his opposition and provoked people into attacking me. They were about to kill me, but the police chief and other colleagues assisted me and I too resisted.”
Another policewoman, Wahida, said she had been in police for the past seven years. She was a year ago selected in the police special unit.
Wahida said her had been appointed in her home district but she could not perform her duty there due to security and other threats.
“My duty is approved for our district, but I cannot go there because our home is there,” she said about the reason behind working in the provincial capital, Taloqan.
She said there were 10 people in her family and her spouse was jobless and she had to bear all the expenses.
She said policewomen faced problems in Taloqan as well, but such problems would resolve with the passage of time and awareness.
Women’s rights activist in Taloqan, Shema Sarwish, said the government should provide more facilities to policewomen than policemen.
She said policewomen were often subjected to discriminatory treatment and their rights were violated. However, she did not go into details.
“Still we don’t have policewomen in a number of districts and only a few female police are in the provincial capital, the government should encourage women into joining the police and military,” she said.
Chief policewoman at the police headquarters, Nazifa Farhat, said female police not only faced problems in Takhar but in the whole of Afghanistan as she referred to cultural restrictions and security threats.
“The problems were grave five years ago, but now they have reduced, currently there are 46 female police officers, sergeants and constables in Takhar,” she said.
She said besides Taloqan policewomen performed duty in Farkhar, Kalfagan, Baharak and Namak Ab districts. She also said they planned to appoint policewomen in other districts as well.
She urged religious scholars, civil society activists and the government to play their role in resolving problems policewomen faced.
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