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Gallery|Women

Kabul: ‘I want to break the tradition that women can’t drive’

Afghan women speak about being behind the wheel of Pink Shuttle, a service ‘by female drivers for female passengers’.

Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Razia, 24, took additional lessons to become one of the drivers of the Pink Shuttle, billed as 'the first and only service in Afghanistan driven uniquely by female drivers for female passengers'. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
By Marta Bellingreri and Alessio Mamo
Published On 22 Aug 201922 Aug 2019
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Kabul, Afghanistan – Smiles, cheers and expressions of shock – these are the reactions, says Mahjabin, when people in Afghanistan‘s capital see women like her behind the steering wheel.

“Someone is looking at us smiling; someone else is clapping hands or blowing the horn to felicitate us; some others are just shocked!” said the 24-year-old.

She is one of four women chosen from 100 candidates to become the drivers of the Pink Shuttle, a project by the Nove Onlus NGO billed “as the first and only service in Afghanistan driven uniquely by female drivers for female passengers”.

The selected drivers did two weeks of additional training to qualify to drive a shuttle.

Afghan law does not prohibit women from driving, but it is rare to see female drivers in the country, including in Kabul. According to the NGO, a total of 1,189 women received driving licenses in the capital between 2012 and 2016.

“Some men think it’s a bad action for women to sit in the car and put the hands on the dashboard and the wheel and we should stay at home. But this is not what we think,” says Parisah, 36, a former journalist chosen to become a shuttle driver.

“My husband encouraged me to apply for this job and so I can offer women a ride when needed.”

Nazilah, 23, added: “I want to break the tradition that women can’t drive … We need to show that we can.”

For Mahjabin, another reason that made her want to drive, is her three-year-old daughter: “I am thinking about the future of my daughter and I hope that all women will drive when she will become an adult.”

Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Mahjabin, Razia, Parisah and their instructor at the Rouhani driving school in Kabul. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
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Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Parisah, 36, driving in Kabul. She is a former journalist who has been selected to become one of the Pink Shuttle drivers. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Mahjabin rejoices after changing a tire as part of her retraining to qualify to drive the shuttle. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
A sunset view of a few of Kabul's skyscrapers and the Television Tower Hill in the background. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Female drivers say male counterparts or passersby in Kabul often look at them astonished and surprised. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Parisah and Mahjabin have been taking driving lessons to become the drivers of the Pink Shuttle. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
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Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Razia, 24, during a theoretical driving lesson. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
The busy Market street in Kabul's district six. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
'Some men think it's a bad action for women to sit in the car and put the hands on the dashboard and the wheel and we should stay at home. But this is not what we think,' Parisah says. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
A woman who attended a driving course provided by Nove Onlus shows her license. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
The interior of a garage where the project's minivan was checked and repaired. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Afghan law does not prohibit women from driving, but it is rare to see female drivers. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Women drivers in Kabul [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]
Children inside the trunk of a car in Kabul. [Alessio Mamo/Al Jazeera]


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