“Weight! Weight! Weight for five rupees; please, no sale yet!”
It is the sad voice of a woman who, by releasing a video clip of her labour work on the side of the street, under the scorching sun, has tried to present a vivid yet deplorable account of the current situation of women under the shadow of the Taliban regime.
On Monday, July 10, a video clip was released to the domestic and international media by a number of women protesting against the strict restrictions imposed by the Taliban regime, which shows two women wearing burqas sitting on the side of the street, doing labour work.
The protesting women shout, “Weight! Weight! Weight to five rupees; please, no sale yet!” She tries to attract customers’ attention and make the first sale, as well as draw the attention of the international community and international organisations to the rough and painful conditions in Afghanistan.
These protesting women have raised their voices in response to the exclusion of women from the workplace and the invisible chains that increase every day and are stretched on the hands and feet of Afghanistani women and girls.
This protesting woman has placed a scale on the corner of the street, under the scorching sun, and shouts loudly to attract customers and earn a few Afghanis. I quote every single word she painfully utters:
“We’re among the protesting women. We’re doing labour work due to poverty, hunger, and unemployment. But what can we do while we are not allowed to work in a dignified way? The gates of government departments are closed to us. We’re still not allowed to work for international organisations. Beauty salons are still shut.”
In another part of her remarks, she states a fact that has been going on every week for the past 23 months. The protesting woman says, “The international aid flows into the pockets of terrorists. They’re deposited to strengthen terrorism. They’re not for the needy people to find a bite of bread for their families.”
Since the Taliban swept back to power, girls have been deprived of education and women have been banned from working. On the other hand, the bold Afghanistani women did not keep silent; they began widespread protests and protested with every possible means.
Mohammad Azar Azarman
