Aid to Afghans: Canada urged to amend criminal code

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Canadian government has been urged to amend its Criminal Code as a matter of urgency to ensure that humanitarian aid can flow into Afghanistan without any legal hitch.

The call came from Canadian women’s rights activists, who argued anti-terror financing provisions under the current Criminal Code were hampering humanitarian aid agencies from delivering legitimate assistance to Afghanistan.

They said basic needs, including healthcare and education for the people of Afghanistan, could not be met. Urgent legislative action was required to address the issue, they believed.

The activists called for creating opportunities for the Canadian government policies and positions to be informed by the voices of Afghan women and girls.

“Canada must develop and implement a consultative mechanism that allows the voices, experiences and expertise of Afghan women and girls from diverse backgrounds to directly influence its policies towards Afghanistan.”

They said Canada’s special envoy for Afghanistan had a key role to play in ensuring regular and meaningful consultations and briefings for Afghan women leaders in Canada, across the diaspora, inside Afghanistan and the Canadian civil society actors.

Ottawa was asked to officially recognise the current gender apartheid and advocate at the international level to end it. Increasing restrictions on women and girls’ basic rights in Afghanistan amounted to a human rights emergency with implications for Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis and global women’s rights.

The statement noted the reversal of the progress in human rights made over the past two decades, especially for women and girls.

With Afghanistan’s economy shrinking and billions of dollars in aid and reserves cut off, the activists said the Afghans could not afford basic necessities. “There are many people who are starving to death and many more living on the streets without water, food or shelter.”

Without immediate humanitarian assistance along with the protection of women’s rights, they said, Afghanistan could not recover from the current political turmoil.

“As members of the women’s global movement, we must amplify the voices of Afghan women and ensure that their voices are heard and that they are engaged meaningfully in response to the crisis as well as in shaping the future of their country.”

pr/mud