Life As An Afghan Policewomen

Police training in Kabul. The hiring of policewomen has been a priority for Western funding organizations. Credit Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

New York Times: Afghan Policewomen Struggle Against Culture

In a clash between Western ideals and Afghan realities, an effort to elevate the status of women by recruiting them to the police force has often backfired.


JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Parveena almost got away.

She was on her way home from a visit to her parents in a remote corner of eastern Afghanistan with her children by her side and a small group of women. Two men, their faces covered by kaffiyehs, pulled up on a motor scooter.

“Who is Parveena, daughter of Sardar?” said one, looking at the group of women, their faces hidden behind blue burqas.

No one answered. One of the men took his Kalashnikov and used the muzzle to lift the burqa of the nearest woman — in conservative Afghan society, a gesture akin to undressing her in public. It was Parveena, who like many Afghans used only one name. She grabbed the muzzle, according to her father and her brother, and said, “Who is asking?”

But the gunmen had seen her face, and they fired 11 bullets into her.

WNU Editor: This New York Time's article was posted earlier this year. There are no recent articles on how is this program faring .... but I suspect that with the Taliban now being very aggressive in targeting the security forces, life as a policewomen must be precarious at best.