Zawish, a young Pakistani, talks about fleeing her homeland and her life in Germany.

When I met with the young Zawish to talk about her family's history, I immersed myself in a foreign world in which women find it very difficult to shape their own lives.

The announcement by the two German ministers, Annalena Baerbock and Svenja Schulze, about the guidelines for future feminist foreign policy, in which, among other things, 85% of project funds will be allocated by 2025 in such a way that the needs of women are taken into account, was given a face. Zawish, now 21, left home in 2013 with her mother, brother, and aunt. "We weren't doing so badly by Pakistani standards. The problem was that my mother was a single parent and we were disadvantaged as a result, for example in the choice of school. As a single woman, you have virtually no rights in Pakistan. And our mother simply wanted us to have a good education and future opportunities that we would never have in our homeland due to her marital status. So she decided to leave with us." Organized by a smuggler via the "usual refugee route" – by bus, truck, crammed into a container on a ship with several people, the family finally landed in Frankfurt in the middle of the night. "We didn't know where we were and the tugboat didn't come to the agreed meeting point. So we asked a man on the street where we were and he said we were in Germany. We were scared because we were now in public, and then my mom decided that we would go to the police. And then we were all very scared because we didn't know what would happen." Eventually, the family ended up in Dietramszell in Upper Bavaria. Since they have been in Germany, the family has experienced great helpfulness from landlords, associations, and the school where the children go. Zawish says with big, shining eyes: "I had my own desk and such a beautiful chair. Under the desk, there was even a shelf for my belongings. I thought it was so beautiful. In Pakistan, we just sat on a wooden bench and here everything was so clean and tidy."

With great ambition, Zawish mastered her school days up to the regular technical diploma. She describes her time at a specialized secondary school as very challenging. "Math and accounting were no problem. But at some point, I had such a language salad in my head." Subsequently, she got an apprenticeship at a bank and was allowed to get in touch with customers at an early age. You can tell that she loves her job and has a wonderful relationship with her colleagues. When asked whether she is sad because her childhood was not carefree but was characterized by change and effort, she answers as follows: "No! I'm lucky. In Pakistan, many people are doing very badly and nobody cares about them. Here in Germany, you get so much support and the state helps you with many problems." But the family wants to do it themselves and seek as little help as possible. "My mom was a shipping agent in Pakistan. Here in Germany she first went cleaning and helped in the supermarket. It wasn't so pleasant, but she didn't want to accept someone else's money." Zawish's mother and brother now work as trained nurses. When asked if they miss home, Zawish replies: "My mother had to sell our house and our car in Pakistan. We had to leave our family and friends behind. Here we all live together in one apartment. It's all so clean and so safe. The air is so pure and there are a lot of trees. I can drive to work alone without fear of being raped or kidnapped." Smiling, she adds: "And I brought my culture with me." Although the sugar festival (festival at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan) and the big wedding celebrations that are now coming up with the cousins – she would love to be there.

She is speaking of weddings. Zawish tells me that the family chooses the man for the girls in Pakistan. Her mother was married at the age of 18, shortly before she finished school, and later separated from her husband because she just wasn't the right one. For Zawish, it goes without saying that in Pakistani culture, parents choose a man: "My mom is a powerful woman and I trust her to choose a good man for me. We're brought up not to approach a man, and neither can I. I trust my mom, mothers always want the best for their daughters. And my mom also leaves it up to me to decide if and when I want to get married. Recently, she said it was about time. But I prefer to work. That can wait."

At this point, we notice how different the ways of life are in different cultures. Zawish would never go out with friends in the evening, and you don't do that as a woman in Pakistan. That's reserved for men. "That's how I was brought up and I feel comfortable doing it. I have to go to a training soon. For the first time in my life, I am not with my family for several days and nights. This thought feels weird. I've never done anything like that before. Here in Pakistan, a woman would never leave alone or be away from family for several days. That would also be far too dangerous." Throughout the conversation, we come to the clothing of Pakistani women and the headscarf, which is much discussed in our country. Zawish tells me that the Pakistani government has no regulations and that every woman can choose to wear a headscarf. It all depends on the family. She does not wear a headscarf at work, but she does in her spare time: "For me, the headscarf embodies the dignity of women. We cover ourselves in order to preserve this dignity." I ask her if she could imagine making a career, becoming a "business woman." After a moment of reflection, she grins at me: "Why not, that would be great." She definitely has the potential. She doesn't want to return to her homeland permanently: "Then it would all have been in vain. And I am very, very grateful for what Germany and the people here have given me. In Pakistan, a person would be grateful for the food that is thrown away here."

I ask Zawish what she would wish for if she had one wish today for International Women's Day: "Peace – the peace and freedom to live in dignity and feel good as a woman in the place in the world where you were born. I wish that you don't have to flee just to live in peace. That's what I want."