Levine: A Year Under the Taliban — Fighting to Save Civil Society

A year ago this week, the Fundamentalist The Taliban entered Kabul 20 years later and seized control of the Afghan government. Canadian human rights researcher and author Corey Levine , who has worked in conflict zones for more than 25 years, recently explored what life is like for women today. I visited Afghanistan to find out. This is his fourth of five reports.

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Kabul — Latif Mar, Afghan Civil Society Forum, one of Afghanistan's oldest and largest civil society networks The organization (ACSFo) is philosophical about the need to engage with the Taliban. "We have no power to eliminate them. This is the reality. So we need them to accept some of our demands, and some of theirs."

I We met with Mal and four of his staff (three men and one woman) on a quiet Friday morning in Kabul to talk about why they chose to stay in Afghanistan and instead fight for the soul of their country. did. Now that the fundamentalist Taliban are in control of the government, they are leaving.

According to them, Afghanistan has built a vibrant civil society over the past two decades (before Taliban rule in 2021), characterized by the growth of non-governmental organizations and press freedom. They understand that a healthy democracy requires a society in which citizens are free to act and organize outside government.

They know the path they have chosen will not be easy, but they remain hopeful. While his NGO sector along with his democratically elected government collapsed on August 15, 2021, when the Taliban overran Kabul, Maru and his colleagues are working to rebuild civic space in their country. is.

But they are not naive to the particular task of doing so under the Taliban. The Taliban confiscated vehicles and entered NGO offices. Afterwards, leave a note on the wall stating that the building has been inspected or "cleared."

One of his NGO directors who advocated human rights and had to flee to safety shortly after the fall of Kabul (for the safety of both individuals and NGOs here unnamed). , explained how the organization's bank accounts were blocked after the Taliban learned the director was now living abroad. New policies stipulate that senior leaders and executive members of NGO boards must reside in the country. "With this law, the Taliban are forcing a brain drain on the country," said the director, who is facing the tough decision to resign from the organization.

No one knows how many local NGOs are still active in Afghanistan. . According to Aziz Rezaee, his former ACSFo director who recently arrived in Canada as a refugee, in 2020 he had more than 2,000 registered with the Ministry of Economy. Because of lack of funds or fear of Taliban persecution. His own organization is an example. Established in 2002, his ACSFo employed 325 people in his 24 of his 34 provinces in Afghanistan until 15 August 2021. Currently, there are only 22 staff left.

The collapse of this sector is partly related to the lack of international funding after the Taliban takeover. But Maru points to other challenges, including continued harassment by Taliban officials and short attention spans for Western governments.

But what Afghans find most difficult is the lack of access to donations due to Western anti-terrorism laws. Canada has been particularly tough in this area.

Section 83.03(b) of the Canadian Criminal Code states that an individual "directly or indirectly provides property, financial, or other related services for which they are to be used. If you know, you could face up to 10 years in prison." Or benefit a terrorist group. “The Taliban have been listed as a terrorist group by Canada since 2013, and now that they are in charge, the federal response has been to stop funding NGOs operating in Afghanistan.

It's not just NGOs that are affected: Manuel Fontaine of UNICEF said testimony to a parliamentary special committee on Afghanistan this spring that "Canadian funds Canada's legislative restrictions affect UN agencies as they can only be used for expenses outside of Afghanistan, and if UN agencies try to work with NGOs and civil society on the ground, Canadian funding will not allow them to do so. That is a problem.”

Including recommendations from the Canadian House Select Committee on Afghanistan June Report, Section 83.03 Despite repeated calls by Canadian aid agencies and others to amend the did.

Within Afghanistan, only organizations providing humanitarian assistance or implementing income-generating projects, particularly those focused on the agricultural sector, have Taliban approval. . All human rights, peacebuilding, cultural, development, research and advocacy activities were suspended and forced to close or go underground.

Some NGOs that have pacts with the Taliban to provide humanitarian assistance have secret human rights monitors on their side. Others managed to continue service, but modified their language and activities.

A representative of an NGO working in the judiciary, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of personal safety, said the organization had not handed over the report and training manuals to the Taliban for "evaluation." He explained that he had removed the following terms: Replaced "protection", "empowerment" and "rights" with "support", "support" and "negotiation". This affects how they offer their services. Now they focus on mediation and counseling rather than legal aid, which is also prohibited.

"People are happy to mediate because nothing in the legal system is really working," the representative explains. This also applies to clients who are survivors of sexual or domestic abuse. With only Sharia courts now in existence, women have no choice but to face their abusers in mediation that seeks some degree of justice. “The Taliban sharia courts are not what we call a judicial system,” her NGO official said. "They carry out cruel punishments such as flogging and executions."

When NGOs Must Renew Registrations with the State Department I worry about what will happen to Economy under the Taliban. It could mean the end of their activities and further closure of civic space. However, Afghan civil society lacks a clear vision of how to respond to this uncertain new future or the role that the international community should play.

Many civil society actors are adamant that other countries should not officially recognize the Taliban. Rezaee, former director of ACSFo, feels that the more the international community compromises with the Taliban, the tougher they will be. Others say we need to get involved, especially to address the dire humanitarian crisis facing Afghanistan.

All agree on the great challenges of trying to work in the current situation. “We all face enormous psychological pressure every day. You have to know what not to say," someone told me. For female workers, there is the added challenge of adhering to the increasingly oppressive Taliban dress code and the need to travel withMahram (a male relative).

NGOs also admit that their ability to run programs depends on the region and the individual Taliban in charge. An Afghan journalist who faces the Taliban every day, advocating for the release of his imprisoned colleagues while working to carve out some space for freedom of expression, says there are some differences within the Taliban depending on the region. Is called.The journalist, who is anonymous due to safety concerns and is not allowed to provide meaningful content, told me about a women's radio station operating in the remote northern province of Badakhshan.

Journalists feel that the Taliban are uninterested in reading or hearing the public read or hear anything other than their own interpretation. "The truth is a threat to them."

Journalists believe it is more important than ever for the international community to engage with the country. "We do not want the Taliban to be recognized, but imposing further sanctions will only make the situation worse. It is the people who suffer. Those in power are not affected."

Here in Canada, Rezaee explains what's at stake. "All NGOs in Afghanistan are in grave danger. We must never give up on helping them." — Three Afghan women in Pakistan awaiting help to go to Canada.

Corey Levine is a human rights and peacebuilding consultant, researcher and author who has worked in conflict areas for over 25 years. She has been traveling to Afghanistan since her March 2002 and she has worked for various organizations such as the United Nations and Amnesty International. Levine returned to Afghanistan again in June.