Afghan human rights problem needs to be addressed: Oxfam

By Nina-Maria Potts

LONDON: British NGO Oxfam has warned that Afghanistan's security forces will not be ready to take control of the country when NATO pulls out in 2014.

In a report written with three other human rights groups, they raised concerns about alleged abuses by Afghan security forces.

It includes recruitment and sexual abuse of children, mistreatment of detainees, and abuse of civilians - whom many see as corrupt and criminal.

10 per cent of civilian deaths in Afghanistan are at the hands of Afghan security forces, according to the British charity Oxfam which said the numbers do not convey the full extent of harm caused to civilians by the Afghan police.

"We do have this deadline for transition, and we know that we are starting from a pretty low point, in terms of the capacity of the national security forces now - they are seen by the population as abusive, corrupt, ineffective, incompetent, predatory on the population, and that is a situation that has to be addressed now," said Ms Rebecca Barber, humanitarian policy adviser at Oxfam.

The report cites specific cases of child abuse and killings by Afghan police, cover-ups and a refusal to investigate. There is widespread evidence, said Oxfam, of the mistreatment of detainees while in detention, and a civilian population to scared to speak out, often because the very people supposed to be protecting them, are the ones abusing them.

Oxfam said the main problem is a lack of training.

"At the moment there are 40,000 police who have not received even the most basic of training, and those who do receive training, only receive a very basic training of six weeks," said Ms Barber.

"In those six weeks, it's primarily focused on military skills rather than the ordinary functions of civilian police, such as law enforcement, (and) criminal investigation. So what we need to see is much better focus on the quality of the training and a shift in the content of the training," added Ms Barber.

Oxfam also wants to see more women police so Afghan women can confide in people they trust. They urged the international community to act fast, before the problem gets worse.

- CNA/cc


(2011-5-11/channelnewsasia.com)