In the isles and coasts of Hormozgan Province (southern Iran) women, in addition to men are also sailing and fishing. A group of fisherwomen said, “We are fishing as men do but we do not have social insurance and the employers do nothing about it.”
“I have resorted to fishery for more than 20 years but I do not have any insurance papers. I asked the employer why he does not do anything about that and he said, “You do not have sailing certificates” one woman said.
Ganji Badsaz, a fisherwoman said in tears, “I have been working as a fisherwoman for 20 years but my future is uncertain”.
Another fisherwoman Zeynab Badzohreh said, “I have worked as a fisherwomen for ten years but the Port Bureau has failed to provide any sailing certificates”.
Zohreh Sayyadi said, “I went to the Port Bureau and said, why don’t you set-up a course to teach women how to obtain sailing liscences? He said, “We do not have licenses for women”.”
The Deputy Manager at Shilat Bureau in Fishery Affairs said, “There are more than 200 women working in the fishing field and since they do not have sailing certificates, we have not written their names in our license because the law does not permit us to.”
(State-run Asre Iran website – Apr. 17, 2014)
