Herat women ask govt to re-create jobs for them

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): A number of women in western Herat province ask the government leadership to provide females the opportunity to again work in government organs.

FareshtahIshaqozi is one of the women of Herat province who has been advocating for women’s rights for years.

Talking to Pajhwok Afghan News, she said the current uncertainty in the country had created many challenges for women and the situation had worried them about their future.

She said that the world celebrated International Women’s Day at a time when the Afghan women were subjected to increasing restrictions with each passing day.

She said though educational centers in Herat were open to girls, yet absence of women in government offices was a serious concern.

Fareshtah called on the leadership of the Islamic Emirate to re-create working and administrative opportunities for women in government organs.

Farahnaz, another woman from Herat, had similar complaints and said that she has been making handicrafts for at least eight years, but their work was stopped after the establishment of the new administration.

Farahnaz who would display her handicrafts every year on March 8 is now jobless and stays at home.

“I used to provide food for six members of my family from the production of handicrafts, but now I have no income,” she said.

She also asked government officials to provide jobs for women, saying work was a basic right of women.

Women’s rights activists in Herat province cite women as a force and trainers of future generations of the country.

ArezoAzizi, a women’s rights activist in Herat, told Pajhwok that the absence of women in government offices was a major concern and restrictions on women would make half of the population paralyzed.

She called on the Islamic Emirate to respect women’s rights and do not prevent them from developing their skills.

Islamic Emirate officials say they are committed to women’s rights under Islamic law.

Farid Ahmad Ayoubi, information and culture director of Herat, said that in addition to paying female staff salaries in government offices on time, the government was also working on a policy to ensure a safe environment for women workers.

According to National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA), the number of civil workers of government in 2020 reached 412,000 with women constituting 101,216 of them.

Now as they have lost jobs, the situation has  affected economy of over 100,000 families whose income has been cut.

mds/ma

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