Girls in Boys' Clothes; The Lives of Women Breadwinners in Afghanistan

Fifteen years ago, Karima lost her husband in a car accident and has since been solely responsible for raising her three daughters. Due to various health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems, Karima is unable to work.

The only source of income for the family is the 14-year-old daughter, who sells vegetables on the streets dressed as a boy. Karima says, "I am sick myself. I have diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Because of this, I cannot work. Only one daughter of mine works, who is 14 years old. My daughter dresses as a boy and works so that she appears to be a boy, because if it is known that she is a girl, she cannot work and will face problems."

Speaking about the challenges her 14-year-old daughter faced working outside the home, she said, "My daughter used to face a lot of problems when she worked outside the home. She had long hair and wore a headscarf, which caused her problems at work. People who knew she was a girl, they say all kinds of things to her. Finally, I had to cut her hair short and put her in boy's clothes."

Karima's daughter also faces harassment and work stoppage by the Taliban while working. Karimeh says, "The Taliban create problems, sometimes they let my daughter's cart work and sometimes they don't."

The Karima family is struggling with extreme poverty. They are barely able to afford basic living expenses such as food, shelter, and medicine. Karima says she has not been able to pay rent for three months and they often go through meals without food.

Karima speaks about the hardships of meeting basic needs: "We are unable to meet our basic needs. We are struggling to get by, and our days and nights are spent in hardship. Even if we have food one time, we won't have food for two other times."

She has also faced gender discrimination due to being a woman. Her brother-in-law threw her out of her husband's house and deprived her of her inheritance. Karima says, "When my husband died, my brother-in-law threw me out of the house and did not give me my rights because I was a woman and I could not defend myself."

Karima has so far received little help from humanitarian organizations. She says that aid often goes to people close to the "representative of area" and not to needy families like hers.

Karima says about the challenges of female-headed households in Afghanistan that "the situation in Afghanistan is very bad. It is very difficult for a woman to earn a living for her family and household and to be the head of the household."

Karima's wish for the future is to have a peaceful and secure life for herself and her daughters. She hopes that her daughters will be able to go to school, get an education and have a good job.

Karima also calls for equal rights for women and equal opportunities for education, work and participation in society. She calls on the Taliban to allow women to be educated and employed.