‘We won’t stop’: Afghan women keep businesses alive despite sweeping rights abuses

In Afghanistan, where sweeping restrictions have pushed most women out of public life, thousands are refusing to give up on work. For many, running a small business has become the only viable path to earning an income – and a way to support other women who have lost their jobs.

With help from the UN, these entrepreneurs are keeping their livelihoods going, often in the face of intense social pressure and strict rules governing women’s movement. “It was difficult for women to sit at home. They had to come out of their houses and learn,” says Parwin Zafar, who runs a tailoring shop in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Parwin Zafar in her tailoring shop in Mazar-i-Sharif. She currently employs 16 women. UNDP in Afghanistan Parwin Zafar in her tailoring shop in Mazar-i-Sharif. She currently employs 16 women. Her business is one of the few spaces left where women can safely work and train others.

Although women are barred from jobs in government, NGOs and the UN itself, many have found ways to continue working from home or in trades traditionally associated with women. These include textile production, food processing and carpet weaving – sectors that remain broadly accepted by both the de facto authorities and local communities.

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Source: The UN