Afghanistan: Information on the current attitude toward and treatment of female doctors, especially in Kabul; and on the state protection available to them
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AFG22352.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Afghanistan: Information on the current attitude toward and treatment of female doctors, especially in Kabul; and on the state protection available to them, 1 November 1995, AFG22352.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaaf28.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the attached Inter Press Service article, women are "[t]he first target of the Taliban, who have overrun a third of the country within the short span of a year" (25 Oct. 1995). According to an attached 28 October 1995 Agence France Presse (AFP) article, closing girls' schools has been "one of the first actions taken by the Taliban in areas of the country that have come under their control in the past year." However, according to the attached 8 October 1995 AFP article, a top Taliban leader "promised a visiting UN official that female education will receive due attention within the Islamic framework in areas under their control."
According to the AFP article dated 28 October 1995,
Mahbouba Hoquqmal is the dean of the university's school of law, one of a number of women who have risen to prominent positions in Kabul's relatively liberal society.
The head of the city's 400-bed military hospital is also a womana surgeon who holds the rank of generaland women account for a large number of the civil servants in the moderate Islamic government of President Burhanuddin Rabbani.
According to sources, in the city of Herat, which fell to Taliban forces on 5 September 1995, women are prevented from working and girls from attending school (Reuters 12 Sept. 1995; Radio Afghanistan 19 Sept. 1995; IPS 25 Oct. 1995). Female doctors and nurses are "just about the only professional women allowed to function ..." (IPS 25 Oct. 1995). Similarly, according to a UNICEF spokesperson quoted by Reuters, "[l]ocal authorities [in the city of Herat] are not allowing women to work in public positions, except for nurses and other health staff" (Reuters 12 Sept. 1995). According to another source, citizens of Herat, are shocked by, disagree with and protest against Taliban policy regarding women; "nobody understands the Taliban's zeal to ban women from public life" (IPS 25 Oct. 1995). According to The Toronto Star and AI, however, these restrictions on women are present in Taliban-controlled areas (5 Mar. 1995; Apr. 1995, 2) and are not restricted to Herat.
More precise information on the situation of female doctors in Kabul and other cities of Afghanistan and the state protection available to them could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.
For general information on the situation of women in Afghanistan, please consult the attached 18 May 1995 Amnesty International (AI) report Afghanistan: Women Targeted for Killing, Rape in the Armed Conflict and the May 1995 AI publication Women in Afghanistan: A Human Rights Catastrophe. Response to Information Request AFG21226.EX of 17 July 1995 on the Taliban provides brief reference to the Taliban's view of women and the situation of women in regions under their control. The latter two publications are available at all Regional Documentation Centres.
For information on the current overall situation of Afghanistan, please consult the Transcript of the Presentation by Shafik Jasar, the Executive Director of the Afghan Association of Ontario, dated 26 July 1995, which was given to the Immigration and Refugee Board in Toronto. This publication, available at Regional Documentation Centres, also discusses briefly the current situation of women in Taliban-controlled areas.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 28 October 1995. "Kabul University Women Fear Taliban Takeover." (NEXIS)
_____. 8 October 1995. "Taliban Pledge Education for Afghan Women Within Islamic Context." (NEXIS)
Amnesty International (AI). April 1995. Afghanistan: Executions, Amputations and Possible Deliberate and Arbitrary Killings. (AI Index: ASA 11/05/95). London: Amnesty International.
Inter Press Service (IPS). 25 October 1995. Philip Brown. "Afghanistan: Women Retreat as Taliban Advance." (NEXIS)
Radio Afghanistan [Kabul, in Pushto]. 19 September 1995. "Talks with UN Envoy; Women's Delegation Protests to UN Over Taleban." (BBC Summary 21 Sept. 1995/NEXIS)
Reuters. 12 September 1995. BC Cycle. "Allow Women Back to Work, UNICEF Urges Taleban." (NEXIS)
The Toronto Star. 5 March 1995. Final Edition. John Ward Anderson. "Afghan Militia Upsets U.N. Plan Islamic Students Demand Council of Pious Leaders." (NEXIS)
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 28 October 1995. "Kabul University Women Fear Taliban Takeover." (NEXIS)
_____. 8 October 1995. "Taliban Pledge Education for Afghan Women Within Islamic Context." (NEXIS)
Amnesty International (AI). 18 May 1995. Afghanistan: Women Targeted for Killing, Rape in the Armed Conflict. (AI Index: ASA 11/06/95). London: Amnesty International.
Inter Press Service (IPS). 25 October 1995. Philip Brown. "Afghanistan: Women Retreat as Taliban Advance." (NEXIS)
Radio Afghanistan [Kabul, in Pushto]. 19 September 1995. "Talks with UN Envoy' Women's Delegation Protests to UN Over Taleban." (BBC Summary of World Broadcasts 21 Sept. 1995/NEXIS)
Reuters. 12 September 1995. BC Cycle. "Allow Women Back to Work, UNICEF Urges Taleban." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International (AI). May 1995. Women in Afghanistan: A Human Rights Catastrophe.
_____. February 1995. Afghanistan: The Human Rights Crisis and the Refugees.
Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly. 1995.
DIRB "Afghanistan" country file. 1995.
DIRB "Afghanistan: Amnesty International" country file. 1995.
DIRB. June 1995. Afghanistan: Recent Articles and Reports, 1992 May 1995: Background Research Documents. Vol. I, II.
DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa]. July 1995 to present.
Foreign Report [London]. Weekly. 1995.
Human Rights of Women. 1994.
The Human Rights Watch Global Report on Women's Human Rights. August 1995.
International Services Group (ISG), Citizenship and Immigration Canada [Hull]. Infrequent reports. 1995.
Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. 1995.
News from Asia Watch. 1995.
Transcript of the Presentation by Shafik Jasar, the Executive Director of the Afghan Association of Ontario. 26 July 1995. Presentation to the Immigration and Refugee Board, Toronto.
Win News [Lexington, Mass.]. Quarterly. 1995.
Women's Commission News [NY]. Twice-yearly. 1995.
