Wrench in hand, Asawar Mustafa, a female Sudanese refugee in Libya, inspected an oil filter in the women-only section of a garage in western Libya, where being a mechanic is considered a man’s role.
That has not deterred the 22-year-old whose main concern until recently was survival, having fled the war in Sudan with her family and abandoned her last year of studies in pharmacy.
“At first, the experience was a bit difficult,” said Mustafa, who came to Libya with her four sisters, mother and brother, who works in the men’s section at the same garage.
Photo: AFP
She was afraid of “making mistakes and damaging the customer’s car,” but as she honed her skills, she became “passionate” about mechanics, even in the face of misogyny, she said.
People have told her that “your place is at home” and “in the kitchen,” and that “this is not a job for you,” Mustafa said.
However, she was determined “not to let it become an obstacle... On the contrary, it was funny to me that someone would say that without knowing my circumstances,” she said.
“I had one goal: I wanted the job,” she said.
Each day, Mustafa, wearing a white scarf and black blouse, welcomes female drivers from Misrata, a large port city about 200km east of Tripoli.
“It’s great to see women making inroads in all fields,” including mechanics, said Fawzia Manita, a customer.
“More and more women are driving in Libya and need to feel comfortable in a place where they are dealing with women, whereas if they were dealing with men, they would feel intimidated,” the 39-year-old said.
Libya is struggling to recover from years of war and chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.
Given its proximity to Italy, whose southernmost island of Lampedusa is about 300km away, Libya is also a key departure point for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, who risk perilous Mediterranean journeys to reach Europe.
Last month, authorities said that up to four in five foreigners in the North African country were undocumented.
The Mustafas left Sudan in October last year amid the war that broke out in April that year between the army under Sudanese Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The conflict has left tens of thousands dead, the UN said.
While more than 10.7 million Sudanese have been internally displaced, 2.3 million have fled to neighboring countries.
After a 10-day voyage through the desert, Mustafa arrived in Kufra, an oasis where the UN said that more than 40,000 Sudanese refugees live alongside 60,000 locals.
The town is about 1,200km from Misrata, where she finally found a job.
“Those days were the worst days I’ve ever lived,” she said, without wanting to elaborate.
She was reluctant to talk about her experience traveling first to Benghazi, in the northeast, then the capital, Tripoli, in the west, before Misrata.
At the repair shop, the encouragement of her 19-year-old brother, Sahabi Mustafa, has been a lifeline.
“I’m here for her if she needs help” and “reassurance,” he said.
Abdelsalam Shagib, the 32-year-old owner of the shop, has also been supportive of Asawar Mustafa, his only female employee.
He said the services offered to female customers should be diversified and conducted by more women.
The profession “must not remain reserved for men,” he said, adding that “women may want to work in this field.”
The proportion of women in the labor force in Libya reached 37 percent in 2022, World Bank data showed.
Other garages in Libya offer a section for female drivers, but Shagib said his is the first to provide services by a woman.
“Today, women who come here are happy to deal with a woman and are more comfortable,” Asawar Mustafa said.
As long as “a woman is determined,” no job “is a man’s monopoly,” she said. “If the desire is there, you should not hesitate.”
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