A 10 grader volunteer to a 17 year old Sabira
Anita Haidary
YWC- Co-founder
We see women and girls rarely working outside. The idea that they don’t have the ability and shouldn’t work outside their houses is very common among “owners of the society”, men. However, there are women who take the risk every day and step out of their houses to truly live as a citizen, human beings, to experience a real life and not be a house tool where they were born, will be married and die in a house or in some cases tortured in their houses like, Sabera a 17 year old from Herat . When they step outside the house they are harassed, when they say no to a marriage then acid is splashed on their face. Even after all these troubles women manage to go to school. They are poisoned or killed at home by their husbands or tortured to the extent that they see no other way but to commit suicide.
A recent shocking case of a school girl, Anisa a 10TH grade High School student was murdered in Kapisa province of Afghanistan. It is another example to tell women that they belong to their houses. Anisa was volunteering for polio vaccination and during her work she was shot by unknown people. Women are not allowed to go to school in most places how dare she volunteers for the society and save their lives. Most people believe that working for community is only man’s work and a woman has nothing to do with it.
Couple of months ago Mr. President signed ulama’s declaration that states women shouldn’t be allowed to go outside their houses without a male companion. This is the last stage of limiting women to their houses. It is particularly sad to see that women are killed while working. Anisa was just trying to help the community, she didn’t deserve to die. Why she had to lose her life in cost of helping others. Why she got death while she was trying to save lives of people in her community. We, women are not allowed to even do good when we want. We are not allowed to make decisions, leave our homes, go to places and do what we want to do.
Recently, 17 year old Sabera burned herself after a year of her marriage while she was pregnant. This is because she was facing domestic violence. Her body is 90 percent burnt. There are very low chances of her survival. She was at home and still not safe. The choice was so limited for her that she saw no other way but to burn herself.
To sum up, this is end of limitation. Women are not tools of houses and if it is believed that killing will stop them from going outside it won’t. They have been killed over the years and they still decide to go out and work. They are poisoned and still going to school. This movement will not stop.