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August 10, 2006
Afghanistan: The Return of the Vice Police
What kind of war is this, when our allies end up copying the institutions of our enemies: Vice and Virtue Department Could Return
(New York, July 18, 2006) - A proposal to reestablish the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Afghanistan raises serious concerns about potential abuse of the rights of women and vulnerable groups, Human Rights Watch said today.President Hamid Karzai's cabinet has approved the proposal to reestablish the department, and it will go to Afghanistan's parliament when it reconvenes later this summer. It is not clear what the department's enforcement power would be. Nematullah Shahrani, the minister of Haj and religious affairs, who would oversee the department, has stated that it would focus on alcohol, drugs, crime and corruption. Afghanistan's criminal laws already address these issues.
"Afghan women and girls face increasing insecurity, and it's more important for the government to address how to improve their access to public life rather than limit it further," said Zama Coursen-Neff, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch. :"Reinstatement of this controversial department risks moving the discussion away from the vital security and human rights problems now engulfing the country."
In a recently released report, "Lesson in Terror: Attacks on Education in Afghanistan," Human Rights Watch identified the lack of access to education, especially for girls, as jeopardizing the country's future development and security. Human Rights Watch pointed out that the proposed vice and virtue department does not address the real problems of increasing insecurity in the south and southeast, particularly attacks on schools, teachers and students that are preventing children from attending school."The proposed vice and virtue department's vague standards for upholding morality could be used to silence critical voices, and further limit women's and girls' access to work, health care and education," Coursen-Neff said.[...]
Posted by Ruy Diaz at August 10, 2006 12:46 PM
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