by Farid Behbud, Chen Xin
KABUL, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- "Learning driving could help women ... to run their own businesses and achieve economic self-sufficiency," an Afghan female driving trainee said.
More and more Afghan women, confronting the social pressure, are making efforts to exercise their rights, including driving. Some of them have joined driving centers across the country.
Saliha, a school teacher and one of the trainees of a driving course in Mazar-i-Sharif, told Xinhua recently that she was very interested in learning driving, so she joined the driving program launched by the provincial women affairs department.
"The provincial women affairs department is supporting a local driving center -- Emroz va Farday-e-Darakhshan Driving Center, in providing facility and classes for women in Mazar-i-Sharif. This program helped a lot for empowerment of women in Balkh province," Saliha said.
Emroz va Farday-e-Darakhshan is a Dari name which means "Bright Today and Tomorrow."
"I want to buy a car and drive to school on time, and after school go to my friends and relatives houses, and solve my problems, with no need for men," she said.
She has asked other fellow women citizens of her province to join the driving course and learn driving as a profession.
"The only female taxi driver is working in Mazar-i-Shairf. She is running her own business and she is helping her family to make a livelihood," she said.
The Emroz va Farday-e-Darakhshan Driving Center has trained over 300 women to drive since it was launched three years ago, according to Tamanna Amini, the organizer of the driving program.
Amini said she launched the driving program for women in cooperation with the Balkh provincial women affairs department.
"This is the 20th driving course with over 35 ladies coming to enjoy learning how to drive theoretically and practically in a one-month training program," Amini said.
Munira Ghanizada, another female trainee of the driving course, also said that she was encouraged by other women learning driving in Mazar-i-Sharif, despite facing harassments from some men.
"Women are provided with more facilities in the recent years and we want to break the taboo and other wicked traditions by learning to drive and participating in other social activities," she said.
Women should overcome the obstacles so as to stand on their own feet and gain economic freedom, she said.
"We live in a traditional society. Men are creating challenges for us and not in favor of our driving. But we should continue with strong will to reach our goals," she added.
Hamida, another school teacher, believed that women should not rely on men or any of their male family members to drive them to somewhere else. Instead, they should take care of themselves, she said.
"We have still many problems in our society. Some men have not still accepted women as part of the society, but we want to fight until gradually diminish the problems," she said.
The provincial Traffic Police Department has also coordinated the driving program for women by providing them with theoretical and practical trainings as well as distribution of driving licenses, according to Amini.
"Women with good economic capability could have their own cars. There is already a woman working as the only taxi driver in Balkh province," Amini said.
She said the women who learned professional driving should train other women, as some women are not happy to be trained by men.
In the past 18 years, Afghanistan has made remarkable progress in terms of women's rights, and women's status has improved dramatically in all areas. However, women in Afghanistan have a long way to go in order to overcome the current challenges.
