It was one of the quickest collapses of any government in global history; the fall of Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan two years ago in August.
As the Taliban progressed to wrest back control and halt the democratic advances made in the previous two decades, they encountered almost no resistance. One witness to the dramatic events, Timor Sharan, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: “Shopping in the city today, I felt people were gripped by a sense of being stuck; stuck in an uncertain future and never able to dream, aspire, think, and believe anymore”.
Since then, following the departure of British, American and other Allied troops, most of the international headlines have been dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the consequences for the latter of Vladimir Putin’s illegal actions.
Rug pulled from under women’s feet
Yet, even as the war continues in Europe, John Norgrove has told the Press & Journal about the humanitarian disaster which is unfolding in Afghanistan, where women’s rights have been excised and the dreams of millions have been cast to the wind by the Taliban’s determination that they should do nothing more than cook and clean, stay at home, procreate and live in subjugation to their husbands and male authority.
And John should know. After the kidnapping and killing of his daughter, Linda, a British aid worker in Afghanistan in 2010, he and his wife, Lorna, established the Linda Norgrove Foundation to ensure her work would live on through a variety of educational programmes which would help girls and women to realise their dreams of becoming doctors, teachers, lawyers, surgeons and have equal opportunities to advance.
But almost none of it will happen. The couple of Uig on Lewis, have had their hopes pummelled into the dust.
Foundation working to improve lives
It’s not in the Norgroves’ nature to be that pessimistic and, despite the shutters being closed on myriad aspects of anything resembling normal society in Afghanistan, their foundation is striving to enhance the lives of many people thousands of miles away.
In the last three months alone, they have given £10,720 to provide emergency transport for women in labour in the remote Kaldar region; £17,623 to long-standing supporter Habibulla Noori to improve two schools in the Bamyan province; £12,000 to La Chaine de L’Espoir to carry out life-changing surgeries to eight mothers and 17 girls at the French Medical Institute. Italian charity Nova Onlus has received £10,356 to refurbish two bakeries and staff them with females; and £10,932 as the first tranche of their “Direct Giving” trial project which will fund 25 women in charge of families for six months.
There are other initiatives and plans in the pipeline, including their ambition to bring the brightest of their sponsored medical students to complete their training at one of five Scottish medical schools, who have all agreed to take students.
Settlement scheme provides routes to UK
Yet this is among the proposals which have become mired in controversy with claims and counter-claims about the number of Afghan refugees who have arrived in Britain.
A UK Government spokeswoman said on Thursday: “So far, the UK has brought over 21,000 Afghan nationals to safety as part of our ambitious and generous commitment to help those at risk.
“This includes Afghans who loyally served the UK and others identified as particularly at-risk, such as campaigners for women’s rights, human rights defenders, journalists, judges and members of the LGBT+ community.”
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) currently provide two safe and legal routes for eligible people at risk affected by events in Afghanistan to come to the United Kingdom.
‘Young women have been affected the most’
However, John reflected on the transformation which has occurred across Afghanistan since the return of Taliban rule led to the erosion of women’s rights and opportunities.
He said: “When the Foundation was set up 13 years ago, there was a positive feeling that we were able to contribute to a turnaround after many dark years.
“But now, it’s on the slide. Hunger is the norm, jobs are scarce, it’s [a case of] keep your head down and people feel oppressed by a minority.
“Young women have been affected the most. With a population of more than 41 million
and an incredible 50% aged 16 and under, more than 10 million girls are being denied an education beyond the age of 12. That’s more individuals than in Greater London – and nearly twice the population of Scotland.
‘Helping people limp along’
“We thought that, although university level study for women might be halted for ‘male’ subjects such as engineering, the Taliban would realise that women are needed to run medical services. We were wrong – evidently their role is to clean, cook and breed.
“We’re proposing to bring 20 Afghan medical students to Scotland to finish their education here. Unfortunately, even if we succeed, that will leave 70 sponsored medical
students behind who had envisaged lives as doctors and are now relegated to cooking and cleaning. It’s difficult for us to appreciate the level of disappointments.
“We have been forced to adapt away from women’s education to the more basic tasks of
feeding and heating. It’s not as satisfying as sponsoring young women to become doctors, which was positive for both the women and the country. Now, we’re helping people limp along the road from this day to the next.”
How legacy of aid worker Linda Norgrove is helping women in Afghanistan
Draconian restrictions
It’s difficult to accentuate the draconian restrictions which have been imposed on women since the chaotic exodus of Western troops two years ago.
The United Nations has investigated how the Taliban has banned girls from attending school past the sixth grade and prohibited women from working in most jobs.
Restrictions on their movement and bodies continue to escalate. They must cover their faces in public and remain in their homes except in cases of necessity.
Women are also banned from travelling long distances without a male chaperone, and unchaperoned women are increasingly being denied access to essential services.
Despite initial promises that females would be allowed to exercise their limited rights within Sharia law – including the right to work and further education – the Taliban has systematically excluded women and girls from everyday public life.
In which light, it’s not surprising that John is realistic about the coming winter.
‘Help is needed now more than ever’
He told me: “We are naturally cheerful, but the current situation has few glimmers of hope for a nation which faces a very hungry and cold winter with no social support, a struggling health system, education denied to a population of girls twice that of the entire population of Scotland, and women without a man in their household prevented from earning money to feed their families.
“For these reasons, we’re determined to continue. Help is needed now more than ever.”
It is now generally agreed that the exit strategy in 2021 was an ignominious failure and possibly one whose ineptitude persuaded Putin that he could send his troops into Ukraine without facing any serious resistance.
And, in Kabul just as in Kyiv, it’s women and children who are bearing the brunt.
Further information about the foundation is available at lindanorgrovefoundation.org
