Following the events of August 15, 2021, in Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized all power in the country and deprived women of all activities at the national level, even women are unable to participate in social activities. The working environment is not conducive, and breadwinner women in Kabul are forced to undertake numerous tasks in the worst and most challenging conditions to meet their life’s needs.
Some of these women state that they receive very low wages for the arduous tasks they perform, which do not cover their living expenses.
Bahktawar, a 53-year-old woman living in a clay house in Kabul, recounts: “I became unemployed after the fall of the government to the Taliban. It has been nearly three years since I have been doing household chores for people. Two years ago, I worked for a lady who owned a beauty salon in the Sarkariz area. In the morning, she would go to her salon, leaving me in charge of her household chores. I earned five thousand Afghanis as my salary. However, since the Taliban closed down the beauty salons for women and girls, she migrated to Iran. I also remained unemployed for months, until the lack of money put immense pressure on me, forcing me to find work to ensure my son does not go hungry and to pay for his school fees.”
“Now I work in a household where the lady is a doctor. Early in the morning, she goes to the hospital, leaving me responsible for her household chores, guests, and all her problems. I scrubbed her floors and washed her clothes, and during the recent Eid, I washed seven carpets in her house all by myself. I am still unwell and have not fully recovered. The salary I receive does not cover my medications,” Bahktawar said.
“Nevertheless, I earn 500 Afghanis per week, equivalent to 4 US dollars. Initially, we had agreed to receive the wage at the end of the week, but she did not keep her promise and paid me monthly. As soon as I receive my salary, I go directly to my son’s school and pay his remaining fees.”
She says she endures all these hardships and difficulties for the sake of her son, so he does not drop out of school and can help the poor people of his homeland in the future.
Another woman, Raihana, struggling with poverty and destitution, says: “Poverty has pushed me towards death several times, and thoughts of suicide have crossed my mind. Since I lost my husband in the national army in Helmand province, poverty has overshadowed me and my children day by day, with no way out. It seems like my husband took his blessings and goodness with him as well.”
She adds: “On weekends, I wash clothes in a house and receive 100 Afghanis, equivalent to 1.5 US dollars. Also, I have been looking forward to monthly aids distributed by WFP. It has been seven months to paid the rent, which I managed through it. I cannot afford to pay the rent. If the assistance is cut off, how will I pay the rent? On the other hand, I cannot afford to buy fuel. I collect garbage during the day to light the stove and make tea for my children. I search the alleys and backstreets of Darul Aman for garbage.”
Despite the Taliban excluding women from all social activities, public presence, and income generation, people also take advantage of women’s poverty and unemployment, exploiting them for meagre wages in exchange for heavy work.
- نویسنده : Afghanistan Women News Agency
- منبع خبر : Afghanistan Women News Agency
