Repatriation

The current situation in Afghanistan has ushered in a time of change for many refugee women. Some 1,000,000 Afghans have been repatriated through the UNHCR program since it began on March 1. However, the majority of the 2.1 million refugees in Pakistan and 1.5 million refugees in Iran are not leaving. The reasons women are not returning were voiced recently when the AWN conducted a survey of women in Peshawar and the surrounding camps. Women sited issues such as the lack of security in Afghanistan, few employment opportunities, drought conditions in rural areas, lack of adequate housing, and uncertain educational opportunities as reasons for not returning. As a result, the AWN and its member organizations will continue to operate in Pakistan providing services to the refugee population.

Security

Women in Pakistan continue to fear for their personal security. The attitudes and people who gave rise to the Taliban still remain in Pakistan, and women who speak out are often personally threatened. There are also reports of rape, honor beatings and other types of gender-based violence against women in Pakistan. Women also fear for their sons who have recently been harassed and beaten on the streets. Refugee women and their families have little chance for protection as local authorities are unable or unwilling to prosecute perpetrators. To compound this, international agencies are moving to Afghanistan, and it is unclear what sort of support will remain in Pakistan. As a result, women remaining in Pakistan still face multiple threats to their personal security that must be monitored and addressed.

Education/Literacy

The education of Afghan women is another area of major concern for refugee women in Pakistan. Because of two decades of war and the edicts of the Taliban banning women and girls from attending non-religious schools and universities, female literacy was estimated at 20 percent by the World Bank in 2001. In "We Simply Do Not Want to Die" [http://www.womenscommission.org/afghan.html] published by the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 94 percent of women and girls surveyed in refugee camps had received no education in Afghanistan. This has created generations of women who do not possess even basic literacy skills.

While there were greater opportunities for education in Pakistan than in Afghanistan, the vast majority of refugees are also uneducated. Women are increasingly becoming the main economic supporters of their families and having to forgo educational opportunities when they do exist. In addition, the cost of education in Pakistan is often sited as why women with an education do not continue their studies.

To address this need, AWN members in Pakistan started grade schools teaching in Dari, home schooling, basic literacy centers in refugee camps, English language schools and skills centers that teach computer and management courses. (For more on these programs go to the Members Section) Access to education continues to be a major issue for Afghan women and the AWN and its members will continue to develop programs in this area.

Employment

Another issue of concern for refugee women in Pakistan is employment. Women are working a higher rate than before, and there is a gradual shift towards acceptance in Pakistan. The economic realities in Pakistan have resulted, in some cases, of women finding jobs more easily than men. As a result, women are working when their husbands, fathers or brothers cannot. While there is no accurate count of widows, some estimates place the growing number of widows in the hundreds of thousands. These women are heading their households and must enter the economic sphere out of necessity.

For the women who do find jobs, there are even more women who are looking. For example, young women who finish medical school qualified to practice medicine cannot work in their chose field. The system in Pakistan only allows for a set number of Afghan doctors, and young, women doctors rarely find work. Other women who receive training in computer programming also find it difficult to find work in Pakistan, as they are women, young and Afghan.

Women’s economic strength must be a priority in Pakistan and Afghanistan if there is to be successful reconstruction and repatriation. AWN member NGOs responded to this need by starting income-generation projects such as sewing and embroidery centers, leather working centers and computer training. These projects allow women to work at home when needed and also to find jobs in offices for urban women. The AWN will continue to provide these services for refugees in Pakistan and look at expanding services to include micro-credit programs and marketing training for women who have completed the skills centers. In addition, the AWN plans to survey the widow population to better understand their needs.