women's stories about immigration; Forced dismissal and starting from scratch

Migration, a familiar phenomenon that comes from poverty and mainly insecurity, has long affected people's lives in different countries. As a country involved in long wars, Afghanistan has the third largest refugee population in the world. Emigration from Afghanistan has experienced a record-breaking increase over the past two years. In this report, you will read the story of a girl who left Afghanistan in search of a better life.

Sadaf (pseudonym), who is 22 years old, like thousands of others, left Afghanistan for a better life on June 6 after the Islamic Emirate returned to Afghanistan and increased restrictions on women's work and education.

Sadaf was a student of the seventh semester of the Faculty of Journalism and at the same time was working as a reporter in one of the media when the Islamic Emirate came and from this date onwards, the relative freedoms of women were attacked one by one. Being a journalist, he closely followed the imposition of restrictions against women.

Sadaf was born in Samangan province and completed his primary education in this province. In order to continue his studies, after he was admitted to the Journalism Faculty of Kabul University, he spent three years of university in the house of one of his relatives, not in a dormitory. He also worked as a reporter from private media.

According to him, "Besides the more responsibilities I had in the family, I also had the highest grade in the college."

While taking care of her elderly parents and her family of twelve alone, Sadaf entered Pakistan illegally after the Islamic Emirate came to power and banned girls from studying and working, where she hoped to be safe and her immigration case was in Immigrant countries should follow, but according to him, migration is not predictable, especially when there are problems.

Not being able to speak Urdu, lack of housing, excessive house rent, having the experience of living in a foreign country and loneliness were among the first problems that introduced Sadaf to the deeper layers of "immigration", but this was the beginning of the path.

Although emigration is usually not voluntary or out of whim, but rather an inevitability, but after he got a job in one of the clothing and accessories packaging workshops and for the first time after emigrating, he was able to send some of his salary to his family in Samangan. Achieved relative satisfaction with life in immigration.

Sadaf says, "I was living in Pakistan with complete satisfaction with my work and salary until I heard rumors in September 2023 that Pakistan is going to deport illegal immigrants."

The process of forced deportation of immigrants added to the difficulties of Sadaf's life in Pakistan, and he walks from home to work every day with great fear and brings himself to the workshop.

Sadaf talks about the behavior of the employees at his workplace as follows: "While I was the only Afghan working in the garment factory, Pakistani citizens tried many times to hide me from the Pakistani police."

He tells a story that one sunny evening while he was tiredly coming home, he suddenly faced such a situation: "I was in the car and there was only a few minutes left to reach home, but the Pakistani police entered the car and asked the driver if Are there passengers from Afghanistan in this car?"

Sadaf says: "I wore a black hijab and no traces of my head and face could be seen until the danger was removed and I found peace." This is the paradox of life in migration: while she escaped from the mandatory hijab and a thousand and one other restrictions in Afghanistan, she imposes all these restrictions on herself in Pakistan to stay safe.

Sadaf says that when the Pakistani police forces left and "I got out of the car to go home, I encountered a very painful scene. The Pakistani police had locked my house and sent me a message to leave Pakistan as soon as possible."

He was still waiting for the fate of his immigration case, but while waiting, he had to work and from time to time he faced extremely unusual conditions: "When I saw the lock on the door of the room, I thought to myself that I lost my job; "I missed the university and today I was expelled from here and I have to start my life from scratch."

Finally, one sunny morning, Sadaf left for the border of Spin Boldak with a suitcase that contained all his belongings. He wanted to return to his family in Samangan.

Sadaf described crossing the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a disaster. According to him, "We moved to the border with eight thousand migrants from Pakistan. "Pakistan police had the worst treatment with Afghan immigrants."

While narrating from his own eyes, he told Khame Press: "Pakistani police brutally beat women and old people and have no mercy for Afghans at all." They even call Afghans with ugly nicknames. Afghans are called terrorists, and this was the most annoying feeling that I faced in my life.