State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2013 - Afghanistan

While the US and the governments involved in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are gradually withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan, serious concerns regarding human rights violations and the protection of minorities remain. At the same time, there were some overall positive developments during 2012. Civilian deaths dropped for the first time in 2012 by 12 per cent compared with the previous year, to 2,754, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Over 80 per cent were killed by armed groups.

The Taliban continue to control large areas of Afghanistan, particularly in the south and the east, where the situation for religious minorities along with dissenting Muslims is insecure. In territory controlled by the Afghan government, too, there have been incidents of violations of religious freedom. In July, the case of Baljit Singh, a Sikh, raised concerns about attitudes towards religious minorities. Singh was held in detention in Afghanistan and later released over allegedly 'false claims' of being an Afghan national after having been deported from the UK, where he had unsuccessfully sought asylum. Singh described how he had been abused by Afghan security personnel and other prison inmates, and forced to convert to Islam. Singh was detained for 18 months but was never formally charged with any crime. The case shone a spotlight on both the Afghan criminal justice system and the Afghan Sikh community, which has gone from several thousand families to merely a few hundred in the last decades.

Ethnic tensions between Hazaras and Tajiks, reported for many years by MRG, remain a key issue in Afghanistan. In September 2012, a number of people were killed as violence broke out in Kabul between members of the two communities on the day that otherwise commemorates the death of Tajik military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed by two Tunisian men posing as journalists in 2001. A convoy of Tajiks from the Panjshir Valley passed through the largely Hazara neighbourhood of Pol-e-Sokhta; a cyclist was injured by one of the vehicles. When the police failed to act, violence erupted. The final number of casualties from the incident was not confirmed. Known as the 'Lion of the Panjshir Valley', Massoud is officially regarded as a national hero; however Hazaras recall a devastating attack on their community in western Kabul by his forces in the early 1990s.

There was a reminder during 2012 of a large-scale attack against the Shi'a community that had occurred during the previous year. In November, the Afghan police announced that they had arrested two persons planning a suicide bombing against Shi'a Muslims gathering in Kabul for the traditional Ashura festival. Approximately 80 people died during the attack on the 2011 procession.

Despite extensive development and humanitarian assistance efforts, continued unrest has meant that the benefits of international aid have been unevenly distributed. Conflict has had a negative impact on the health of Afghans, and the health care infrastructure throughout the country is poor – with a particularly negative impact on marginalized groups. Bamyan province, for example, has a large Hazara minority population and has faced discrimination on the part of central governments in the past. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), there are hardly any services available in the region. This has resulted in low vaccination rates, widespread waterborne diseases, and high levels of maternal and infant mortality.

There have been mixed results from attempts to open the region up to mining in order to exploit its deposits of ores and coal. While the closure of unlicensed mines may have protected children from dangerous and unhealthy work, the Chinese firm that won the tender for mining in the region had reportedly not replaced the jobs with new ones. Reports emerged in 2012 that the lack of opportunities may have pushed people into the employment of the Taliban, which the government has vigorously denied.

Independent human rights monitoring remained in question throughout 2012, adding to the general climate of impunity that helps to keep minorities vulnerable. Posts remained vacant on the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) during 2012, including after one member was killed by a suicide bomber in early 2011 and three more were removed by President Hamid Karzai at the end of that year. A fifth commissioner was also dismissed. A landmark AIHRC study of war crimes remains unpublished, despite having been completed two years ago.

Women's rights

The situation for women in Afghanistan showed little improvement in 2012. Despite constitutional provisions on women's rights, grave incidents of violence against women continue to be reported from the country. According to HRW, in early 2012 there were 400 women and girls in detention centres for 'moral crimes', which usually involved attempts to escape forced marriage or domestic violence.

The antipathy of the Taliban towards international aid organizations and government agencies makes it difficult to assess the health of communities living in areas under Taliban control, particularly the health of women who have suffered in the past under the Taliban. In 2012, Afghan intelligence officials accused the Taliban of poisoning schoolgirls in Bamiyan province, although the accusation was denied. Similar poisoning incidents were reported in other provinces as well.

Even in urban areas under government control, vulnerable women still face big health risks, and ethnicity has been shown to increase the risk of human rights violations for women at a drug abuse treatment centre. Recent studies suggest that Afghan women continue to face cultural, religious and social barriers to accessing health care.[4] Issues include limited autonomy for women, preventing them from visiting clinics for check-ups, as well as a lack of emphasis on the importance of regular antenatal care. Patients also reported that the attitudes and behaviour of public health staff deterred women from using medical facilities, with abusive and disrespectful practices being reported, along with discrimination and charging for free services or medication.

Concerns about the mental health status of women and children in Afghanistan continue. With diminished rule of law and increased economic hardship, practices such as selling or exchanging girls have become more common, and domestic violence continues to be a source of distress. Establishing the social and medical structures to prevent abuse and treat women who have suffered violence remains a significant challenge in Afghanistan.

Notes

4. Thapa, J., 'The other side of the coin: disparities in achievement of health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nepal, Himalayan Journal of Sociology & Anthropology, vol. 5, 2012, http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/HJSA/article/viewFile/7040/5690; Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) [Nepal], New ERA, and ICF International Inc., Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal, Ministry of Health and Population, New ERA, and Calverton, MD, ICF International, 2011.