Afghan policewomen stand in formation during a graduation ceremony at a police training centre in Herat, Afghanistan on Dec. 22, 2011. Some 500 officers graduated following their eight-week training course at Ansar 606 police training centre in the western province of Herat.AFP/Getty Images
Afghanistan’s former policewomen fear for their lives under the Taliban and have been forced into hiding, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch, which calls on countries such as Canada that helped train and hire Afghan women, to prioritize them for resettlement.
The rights organization released a report on Thursday detailing the dangers that Afghan policewomen have faced since the Taliban seized control of the country in 2021. The report said that the Taliban have been threatening them and that they also face retribution from their own families.
The report said that hundreds of policewomen employed by the former government experienced sexual harassment and assault, including rape, from their male colleagues and supervisors who were never held responsible. Former policewomen described the mental trauma that they’ve endured because of the abuse. In addition, their families have rejected them over perceived shame.
Afghan women have been betrayed twice, Human Rights Watch said, first by the former Afghan government, which allowed sexual abuse against the female officers to go on, and secondly by countries that ignored the abuse and have not resettled them.
Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, said there has been no effort to evacuate these women.
In the chaotic aftermath of the Taliban takeover, former Afghan policewomen went into hiding and didn’t have anyone looking out for them, she said. Non-governmental organizations helping rescue others did not have these women on their list; they have fallen through the cracks.
“These women are not only being threatened by the Taliban,” she said, “but also their family members now, because it was never accepted to be a female police officer in the country and now that there is no protection, certainly for women, there are reports that some of these policewomen have been killed by their family members after the Taliban takeover.”
An Afghan policewoman searches burqa-clad devotees arriving for Eid al-Fitr prayers, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Herat on Aug. 8, 2013.AFP/Getty Images
Ms. Abbasi said women they spoke to frequently change where they live to avoid detection.
Clémence Grevey, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said Canada worked with NATO allies and other donors to establish and train the Afghan National Police from 2002 to 2021. And before 2021, the Canadian government contributed funding to support Afghanistan’s security forces.
Michelle Carbert, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said that IRCC sympathizes with individuals in this situation and recognizes that many people who may have had a relationship to Canada remain in Afghanistan and countries in the region.
She said IRCC continues to process eligible applications received under the various measures for Afghan nationals. Citing safety and security concerns, she said IRCC is not able to provide additional details and cannot comment or speculate on future measures or initiatives.
Ottawa announced a special resettlement program for Afghans who had worked for Canada in July, 2021. It also created a humanitarian resettlement program for Afghans vulnerable to Taliban persecution, such as female leaders and LGBTQ people, and created a program for extended family members of former interpreters who had come to Canada under previous policies.
Ottawa promised to bring at least 40,000 Afghans to Canada. And according to IRCC, more than 54,000 Afghans have arrived since August, 2021.
Afghan police women participate in a training exercise at a police academy outside Herat on Dec. 25, 2012.AFP/Getty Images
Ms. Abbasi said that in January, 2021, months before the Taliban takeover, there were 3,800 female police officers in Afghanistan. She emphasized that there are only a few thousand women, both in Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries, who need to be resettled.
“Being a woman in Afghanistan these days, you don’t have any rights, but imagine being a woman who has worked for the security forces.”
Ms. Abbasi recalled one woman telling her that before the takeover, she could help support her family and was respected. But since then, her husband has been abusing her, has told her that he had never wanted her to work for the police, and because of her, their family can’t go anywhere.
Women also expressed feeling depressed and anxious, Ms. Abbasi said, because they live in constant fear.
Human Rights Watch called on the Taliban to stop intimidating, harassing and punishing former government officials, including former policewomen.
The group urged Western countries to treat Afghan policewomen like others who they worked to resettle, such as interpreters and members of the Afghan National Security Forces.
“We’re calling on countries, including Canada, that have a responsibility because they were the ones who funded and trained female police officers.”