Kabul, 19 March 2009 - Ordinary Afghans are loosing hope. Recent research shows that 63% of Afghans believe that the security situation in their communities has worsened since 2004. Four years ago, 75% believed it had improved. In a few days the UN will revise the mandate for the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan. HRRAC asks the members of the UN to increase the focus on security for the Afghan population.

According to the new research report Fight poverty to end insecurity: Afghan perceptions of insecurity , from the Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC), Afghans are losing faith in disarmament initiatives and have little trust in the capabilities of the police. Poverty and unemployment are identified as the driving forces behind insecurity and they call for these issues to be addressed as a priority.

“The UN must focus more on ensuring security in Afghan communities”, says Lex Kassenberg, HRRAC board member and country director for CARE International in Afghanistan. “We need to recognise that the spreading insecurity is not only affecting security forces, aid organizations and government workers. The average Afghan is also threatened”, Kassenberg adds. 

The study conducted by HRRAC in six Provinces of Afghanistan shows that the majority of people interviewed believe there has been a general rise in crime and violence over the past four years. “Suicide bombings and war fighting are not the only problems that are haunting the Afghan population”, says board member Mudasser Hussain Siddiqui, manager of policy, research and advocacy for ActionAid in Afghanistan. Kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery and theft complicate the lives of ordinary citizens. “These stories rarely make the headlines in international media, but are very real to Afghans who are trying to go on with their lives”, Siddiqui adds.

In light of the renewal of the UN Mission to Afghanistan’s mandate, HRRAC asks members of the UN to increase focus on the security for the Afghan population, assisting the Afghan government in:

• Addressing poverty and unemployment, which according to HRRAC research are what the Afghan people believe to be the root causes of insecurity.
• Carrying out a proper security sector reform, which focuses training of the Afghan National Police on civilian tasks that will improve security in Afghan communities.
• Ensuring that an independent revision of disarmament programmes such as Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration (DDR) and Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) takes place and that these disarmament programs are implemented in a tougher way. 

The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) consist of the following national and international members: Save the Children, CARE, Action Aid, Oxfam, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, ACTED, ADA, ACSF, R&D, AIHRC, AWEC, ACBAR and AREU.

To read the study, please click here .

More information is also available on the  Security Situation in Afghanistan and  Why do Afghans think their country is unsafer?

About the study 
• Research was conducted in 6 provinces of Afghanistan: Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad, Badakshan, Masar, Kabul
• 1400 interviews were conducted
• A similar study was conducted in 2004 – interviewers tried to go back to the same communities, but the security situation in some areas prevented them from going back to the exact same communities

Key findings
• 63% of Afghans believe security has deteriorated over the past years, while in 2004 75% believed security had improved over the past year.
• Most believe that warlords in their area have retained or increased the amount of weapons in their possession compared to four years ago.
• Government disarmament initiatives, although widely implemented, are at best considered a partial success.
• The insecurity is seen as stemming from insurgent activity, corruption within the security forces, the misuse of power by local warlords and the negative influence of neighbouring states.
• The interviewees highlight the role of the International Military Forces in providing security to the population in areas where the police and Government forces are incapable of doing so. 

Contacts
Lex Kassenberg
Country Director 
CARE International in Afghanistan
Tel: +93 (0) 799 239511
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mudasser Hussain Siddiqui
Manager - Policy Advocacy & Research
ActionAid Afghanistan
Tel: +93 (0) 799476991
Mudasser.Hussain@actionaid