Page 5 - Empowerment and Protection - Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN
Views on security threats and protection
Interviews with Afghans offer insights on what human security means to them. As the majority of interviews are of Afghans who are living in Kabul, it largely reflects the lives of Afghanistan’s urban population. nevertheless, the reflections from this chapter are relevant beyond an urban perspective in revealing how the Afghan people express their human security concerns. this section will focus on the leading drivers of insecurity as identified by the respondents. this will be followed by an analysis of what security providers people see as contributing to their security.
ffffRLD BANK 2014A)
18 storIes of HuMAn securIty | AfgHAniStAn HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
INDEX 2013
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Zahid is a 32-year-old ethnic Pashtun who works as a legal advisor in Kabul.
Illiteracy, lack of good governance, absence of national unity, poverty, and unemployment are all factors that add to my insecurity. Mass illiteracy has prevented people from understanding others' opinions no matter how well informed, [which] has led me in many instances to use self-censorship. Weak governance has prevented people from reaching their goals, it has given way to nepotism and weak rule of law. the absence of national unity amongst all ethnicities has led some to
feel excluded and this has led to deep-seated grievances.
Poverty has oriented people to worry about meeting only their own needs with no consideration for [...] others. unemployment has pushed people to join the insurgency. In my village in Wardak province I have asked elders why the youth
join the taliban, and they have told me that it’s because they’re jobless and the government is unable to provide them with work, so they join the insurgency. But I would say illiteracy is the most important driver.
the factors that contribute to my sense of security are the presence of a government even if it’s weak. I say this because a few years ago we didn’t even
“Good governance and a country where I can express myself is most important for my security.”
have a government in place at all. When I was living in Islamabad [Pakistan] before 2001, as a student [...]a few of the Afghan students wanted to create an Afghan students union, but since there was no legitimate government in Afghanistan the university wouldn’t recognise our student union. After 2001, when a legitimate government was established,
we were able to create the student union. this revealed to me the importance of a government, even if weak, on the local population and even on the refugee populations. Also the opportunities for work in the past 12 years have given me much security.
Both factors enable me to exercise my rights and freedoms; they enable me to think of my future and what investments I can make to ensure that I continue to prosper. I believe these issues are different for each individual. But for me good governance and a country where I can express myself is most important for my security.