Balkh women, child workers complain low wages

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Some women and child labourers in northern Balkh province have complained about low wages and lack of work opportunities and asked the government to provide them with permanent work.

The Yalmarb area of Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital, is a spot where daily tens of women and child labourers gathered to catch work.

Most of these women held responsibilities for their families and had to provide them with food and accommodate other necessary needs.

Humaira, one of these women, told Pajhwok Afghan News that she came here to find employment for herself because she had been unemployed for some days.

Humaira said: “As a widow and a woman to support my seven children, I have a tough life; most of the time I cannot find any work for myself.”

The daily wage of such working-woman is only 150 Afs, which merely fits the bread of a family, she said.

Shah Gull is another labour woman in the same area waiting for work, she complained about the low amount of work wages adding that she stayed in this place from dawn to dusk but can’t find any job.

She said: “My husband is unemployed, I work for 150 afs a day, our life is very hard, and living with such income is an agony to live in a rented house.” She asked the government for assistance.

Marjan another working woman complained about the same unemployment issue. She called on the government to provide them with permanent employment opportunities or give them aid packages.

Besides the presence of women labourers, a number of child labourers were also present to look for work.

Basheer, 13, said his father is in Iran and he had no option but to work for his family.

He said it is cotton collection season, he could sometimes find employment in cotton collection for 50 Afs a day.

Balkh’s local Labor and Social Affairs department assured these women about their employment.

Labor and Social Affairs director Abdul Raheem Qanit told Pajhwok, the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) tried to find employment opportunities for those women who work on roads and perform heavy labor duties.

The government has established a department called Hirfa (Profession) to provide the women labour, widows and poor women or provide such women financial and substantial aid packages.

Earlier the government officials said that the unemployment would be reduced in the country, short and long term plans and policies had been put in place in this regard, they said.

Aw/nh