Further aid is needed so world leaders don't
forget women and children of Afghanistan
With all eyes focused on Iraq, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is concerned that the women and children of Afghanistan will be forgotten. With the generous help of our members and friends, UUSC has been able to provide help to women survivors of the war in Afghanistan as they strive to move from crisis to having a voice in the creation of a civil society that promotes peace, stability, and self-sufficiency. The need for humanitarian aid is still overwhelming and we still need your assistance to help the women move from victim to survivor to citizen. Investing in the women of Afghanistan will reap rewards as the country begins the long process of rebuilding.
The director of a UUSC partner organization, Women for Women International, Zainab Salbi, described the situation earlier this year after a trip to Afghanistan. Ms. Salbi told some very moving stories about how the relief work is helping women to get their lives back together and reclaim their dignity. However, she said she is fearful that with the vast media attention now being focused on Iraq, people will forget about Afghanistan. Ms. Salbi, who incidentally is an Iraqi native, said she is deeply troubled with the sense of hopelessness she found in Afghanistan. “It is incredibly important that we not forget about Afghanistan,” she said. “If we leave after two years, that's the most dangerous thing we can do.”
A precarious situation
According to the United Nations Development Program, Afghanistan has heart-breaking demographic statistics: the average life expectancy is about 40 years and the mortality rate for children under five years old is 26 percent. Seventy percent of the Afghan population is estimated to be undernourished, with only 13 percent having access to potable water. Nearly two-thirds of Afghan adults are illiterate. Afghanistan ranks among the most destitute countries in the world.
It is now more than one year after the Taliban regime was defeated and the situation of Afghan women remains precarious in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan has been host to two million Afghan refugees, mostly women and children, who have become increasingly vulnerable as international agencies scale down their protection work in Pakistan. Over the last year, more than 1.75 million Afghans have returned home from neighboring countries. According to United Nations sources, U.N. staff was planning for 200,000 refugees to return to Afghanistan. However 800,000 returned, more than quadruple the number expected and a number for which they were unprepared. What the returnees found were demolished homes, wrecked water systems and barren agricultural fields. There is now a “reverse flow” of Afghan families who are returning to Pakistan after failing to find housing or work in Afghanistan. The people who a year ago were feeling hopeful for the future are decidedly less so this year.
The central Afghan government continues its struggle to assert authority over the countryside. Most experts agree that the 4,500 member UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a wholly inadequate response to the security problems. This peacekeeping force is separate from the 11,500-strong U.S.-led military operation hunting Taliban and Al-Quaeda renegades. Experts in Washington issued a detailed study suggesting that at a minimum (to secure major urban centers and key communication routes) a force of 18,000 in the first year would be required. The result is that the same warlords in the countryside continue in power as before. Moreover, the ISAF has until the end of July been under a six-month rotating command system, which forced each nation leading ISAF to look for a new country to lead the force before its term expired. In August the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will take over and security experts are optimistic that this will provide continuity and allow ISAF to move troops outside of Kabul.
The sad fact is that war and conflict, no matter where or what the cause, bring chaos, devastation and suffering to innocent women. In addition to the lack of basic necessities, women and girls have suffered unspeakable violence as well as the deterioration of their rights under the Taliban. UUSC recognizes the importance of supporting women's groups who are working to advance the rights of women. Many are necessarily providing relief but others are working to improve the skills of women and teaching them of their rights which are vital if they are to participate fully in the rebuilding of their country.
(Next Page) Humanitarian aid helps women and children
Posted July 25, 2003
