Sonam
As an Afghan girl, I found it very difficult to move in the public spaces in Afghanistan. If I ever wanted to go out somewhere by myself, it would be so difficult for me to commute and I couldn’t walk down alone not even in my own neighbourhood lanes. The reason on one hand is the lack of security in terms of social unrest and on the other hand the jobless male generation who stand at the street corner would create disturbance and try to harass women of all ages, verbally, sometimes physically too. This would always make me stay away from going for some extra classes after school or going out to the market or for any important job outside my home. Therefore I remain confined inside my house within the four walls. However when I was in a big group with my friends, I would never face any problem outside. But it was only when I was alone or with only few friends that it was difficult to walk down the streets. Walking in the lanes of Afghanistan as a girl is definitely a difficult experience. It is not very comfortable and safe to go out, walk somewhere alone and I am sure that most of the Afghan young girls of my age would relate to me on this. The time in the evening was especially dangerous as I wasn’t able to go out at all after 5:00 pm because after sunset the harassment by jobless males on the streets would increase and the situation became worse over time. When I was in Afghanistan I wasn’t able to work outside because the situation wasn’t suitable for a girl to work somewhere.
All these terrible incidents which happened repeatedly and regularly against women in my country, whether they are Muslims or not Muslims made me shiver in shock and fright and all these things make me angry . The women from all generations are terrified in their everyday life and my experience as a human being and as a woman is too painful.
Facing different problems as a young girl in a country like Afghanistan gave me a lot of strength. My experiences made me combat with different people with different social issues . However I am much more relaxed here and believe and wish that one day all these harassment against women would end.
I dream that all kind of mistreatment on young women will come to an end one day and we can live as we want and with our own choices. Since women are also a part of the society , I wish that every man should recognize our presence and give us due respect. I dream that in our country Afghanistan, women will be more mobile without any interference and they can have their own space in public. I dream that every young woman must fulfill her desires and become independent and Women should and must share an equal platform with men.
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