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Since July, all Afghan women in Switzerland have generally been entitled to asylum. The SVP and FDP want to reverse this. Afghan women in Switzerland remain caught between hope and fear.
“I fear every day that the Swiss government will send me back to Afghanistan,” says trainee Zahra Alidoosty. Alidoosty has been temporarily admitted to Switzerland and is doing an apprenticeship as a baker.
She cannot imagine returning to Afghanistan. «That’s not life, that’s a slow death every day. And if a woman does something small wrong, she is beaten or goes to prison,” says Alidoosty.
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With a B permit, Zahra Alidoosty would have more freedom when traveling and the right to family reunification.
SRF
She has lived in Switzerland for four years. Now she has submitted a new asylum application. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has been granting asylum to Afghan women since the summer. In Afghanistan, all women can be victims of discrimination and persecution. In November, almost 600 people from Afghanistan came to Switzerland and applied for asylum here.
SVP and FDP want to reverse the change
The SVP and FDP are demanding in parliament that the SEM should reverse its change in practice. “The SEM made a decision on its own that was not within its competence,” says SVP National Councilor Gregor Rutz. “They want to grant asylum to a whole group of women from Afghanistan. The Asylum Act stipulates that each asylum application must be examined individually. You can’t invite entire groups. If so, the entire Federal Council would have had to approve it, and Parliament and the cantons would have had to be consulted.”
As long as the situation of Afghan women on the ground does not improve significantly and sustainably, we cannot reverse the change in practice.
The SEM emphasizes that this change is very much within its competence. “As long as the situation of Afghan women on site does not improve significantly and sustainably, we cannot reverse the change in practice,” says Magdalena Rast, media spokeswoman at the State Secretariat for Migration. From the SEM’s point of view, this would be contrary to international law.
“You can also say that many European countries have a similar practice to Switzerland and generally grant asylum to Afghan women,” Rast continued.
National Councilor Rutz speaks of a scandal
The National Council did not want to discuss Rutz’s motion on Tuesday and sent it back to the commission. One reason: The responsible justice department will soon have a new boss, Beat Jans.
“I think this is a scandal,” said Rutz after the National Council’s postponed decision. “It is a scandal that the Federal Council has not reversed the SEM’s transgression of the law. But the fact that Parliament doesn’t want to talk about it is somewhat questionable.”
My wish is that all Afghan women here get a B permit. Then they are a little calmer and have less stress.
For Zahra Alidoosty, a positive asylum decision would lead to a B permit. It wouldn’t make any difference to her boss what permission she has. “It doesn’t matter to us,” says Michael Wick, junior managing director of the Wick bakery. Even with a B permit you have to make a report.
For Alidoosty, a B permit would mean security. In addition, she would have more freedom to travel and the right to family reunification. “My wish is that all Afghan women here get a B permit. Then they are a little calmer and have less stress.”
Alidoosty is one of almost 1,000 Afghan women in Switzerland who have submitted a new asylum application since the change in practice in the summer. The Council of States will deal with the issue on Wednesday. A decision will not be made until the new year.