Afghan Woman Working As A Cop, Shot And Stabbed In The Eyes For Getting A Job

A 33-year-old woman was allegedly shot and stabbed with a knife in the eyes for getting a job outside the house.

Three men came on a motorcycle and reportedly attacked her just after she left from a police station in Afghanistan¡¯s central Ghazni province, where she works as a cop. When she woke up at the hospital she had lost her sight.

Reuters

The woman identified as Khatera, had joined the Ghazni police as an officer of the crime branch a few months ago. With the attack, she not only lost her sight but her dream of having a career for which she worked so hard and battled with the society.

She and local authorities blame the attack on Taliban militants. The group has, however, denied involvement and said the assailants acted on a tip-off from her father who vehemently opposed her working outside the home.

¡°I wish I had served in police at least a year. If this had happened to me after that, it would have been less painful. It happened too soon ... I only got to work and live my dream for three months,¡± she told Reuters.

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The attack on Khatera, who only uses one name, is indicative of a growing trend, human rights activists say, of an intense and often violent backlash against women taking jobs, especially in public roles. In Khatera¡¯s case, being a police officer could have also angered the Taliban.

Reuters

Since her childhood, she dreamt of having a career. However, her father never supported her dream but she never gave up and was able to find support from her husband. According to her, she saw her father following her on her way to work several times. She alleges that he might have contacted the Taliban to prevent her from working.

Khatera further added that her father even provided the Taliban with a copy of her ID card to prove she worked for the police and that he had called her many times on the day she was attacked, asking for her location. Khatera¡¯s father has been arrested by the police.

Currently, Khatera is hiding out in Kabul along with her husband and children, recovering from the attack. Her family has cut all contact with her, especially her mother who blames her for her father¡¯s arrest.