By Zahra Hossaini
Homa used to lead a unit focused on the prevention of violence against women in Balkh province. Using her bachelor’s degree in diplomacy and military science, she worked at the police headquarters, at least until the Taliban arrived. Their threats against former security forces left her no choice but to flee to Iran. She says she has lived in the shadow of fear and humiliation during this past year. Her biggest problem has been her difficulty finding work. In Iran, Homa says, Afghan refugees are not given the opportunity to perform office work but are perceived as only having skills suitable for hard physical and menial labour, which are poorly paid.
Many times when she went to apply for office work, Homa says that she was faced with a direct or indirect demand of sex by the employers. “Once, when I contacted an office which had a job announcement for a clerk, the manager asked me to send him my picture. “After sending the picture, he called me and said that I got the job, though it has ‘one condition,’ ” she explains. When Homa asked the condition, the employer told her, “The condition is that you have to have sex with me once a week.”
After that encounter, Homa lost hope of finding a decent paying office job and had to earn a meager salary by working in a nursing home for seven months. Now, she has been unemployed for two months and does not know what to do to support herself.
Fatema, another young Afghan woman living in Iran, traveled there on a student visa after the Taliban came to power. She is now studying for a master’s degree at a university in Tehran. She has a similar experience to Homa as she looked for work. “I went to different offices to find a job, but I faced racism and sexism everywhere. Every employer demanded sex in return for jobs,” Fatema adds, “Since I was humiliated so much, I don’t dare to look for work anymore. Whenever I think about this issue, my hands, and feet tremble.”
The racism faced by Afghan refugees is entrenched, as a first-hand account in Deutsche Welle illustrates. First, the government imposes special fees and taxes on refugees while denying them public services. Secondly, discrimination against Afghan refugees by the Iranian population is widespread. And that daily bigotry exacts a heavy psychological toll on the refugees.
The misogyny and discrimination faced by Afghan women in Iran is not a new phenomenon. According to research conducted in 2017 by an independent researcher, about half of the Afghan women who spoke said that they did not feel safe in Iran. In particular, they are verbally abused because of their nationality and gender and don’t even feel safe going to the washroom.
The research says that there has been widespread discrimination against Afghan refugees in Iran and that they are not allowed to stay or work in certain cities. As well, Afghan children are not allowed to attend local schools.
Like the other women interviewed by Zan Times, Sapida, a Ph.D. student in sociology in a university in Tehran, recounts a similar experience of sexism and racism. “I was once shortlisted for an office job. But I faced questions and instructions during the job interview that had nothing to do with the job. The head of that office asked me if I was single or married and did I have a problem working at night,” she says. “He also told me that I should come to work with stylish clothes and make-up and that I should do whatever the boss asks of me.”
“I told them that I can’t work under these conditions, I’m an expert and it’s better to talk about work-related issues.” She says. “The head of that office asked me to leave the room in a harsh tone and insultingly said, ‘We don’t give work to Afghans. Don’t look for work here anymore.’”
Roya used to work as a trainer with an NGO in Balkh, but she fled to Iran after losing her job when the organization was shut down. She was able to tolerate the daily humiliations – especially rampant racism and sexism – for just eight months before returning to Afghanistan. “I was in dire need of work, but wherever I went, they did not like my appearance and did not give me a job,” Roya says. “Once when I visited a store that needed a salesperson. They told me, ‘Your face and body are not good enough to work here, you cannot attract customers with your appearance’” she says, adding, “I always faced insults and heard rude things because I was from Afghanistan.”
Names have been changed to protect the identity of the interviewees.
