The Bad Turn in Afghanistan
08:43, 5 November 2009
.. Posted in Development, Relief and Advocacy Efforts.. Link
The bombing of the guest house in Afghanistan that housed so many United Nations staff has, ofcourse, been very much on my mind. I'm not surprised that the UN is pulling much of its international staff out of Afghanistan or into more secure compounds following last week's deadly attack.
These events are a tragedy for those who lost their lives and even those who survived the attack, but altogether, they are also a tragedy for Afghanistan, as noted this blog by Sarah Bailey: "The ultimate tragedy is that the cost of keeping aid works safe may be the well-being or even the survival of those who rely on their assistance."
UN workers were already incredibly restricted in their movements in the country and interactions with everyday Afghans before this latest attack. When I was there in 2007, I felt like I would go out of my mind being able to walk only within the boundaries of my guest house and my work place, for the most part, except for a handful of acceptable restaurants (and good luck finding a UN driver on your one day off to go to such, especially if you are a woman aid worker in Afghanistan). But since the first attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul in January 2008 (which killed American aid worker Thor Hesla, among others), international aid workers are even more restricted in their movements. For most international aid workers -- at least most aid workers worth their salt -- it's interactions with locals and experiencing the country on a personal level that fuels the drive to be there, to give up family and friends for such long periods in order to serve the region. As safety precautions cut aid workers further off from every day life in the country, Afghans themselves suffer - it's harder to get them the resources they need, as communications channels become so severely limited.
But my greatest fear now is for local aid workers in Afghanistan; most of the people I worked with when I was in Afghanistan were Afghans themselves. My fellow aid workers from Afghanistan provided most of my window into Afghan culture. Their work makes them a target. Some families have stopped allowing women family members out of the house, forcing them to quit their jobs.
It's hard to believe that, in 2007, Afghanistan was so much safer than Iraq (which was why, when offered a job in both places at the same time, I chose the former). Now, almost three years later after that original job offer, things have changed so dramatically. And tragically.
My Afghan women colleagues say that for as bad things have gotten, life is still better for them than it was under the Taliban or under the Afghanistan warlords -- but Afghan women's gains are not holding. Please write your US Representative and your Senators to remind them that the safety and freedom of Afghan women needs to be a priority; every decision made in Afghanistan needs to have their concerns at the forefront.
Thomas, stay safe.
