Afghan Province Lacks Any Female Prison Facilities

The lack of even a single women’s prison in the northeastern province of Kunar means that all female prisoners have to be sent to the neighbouring province of Nangarhar, an IWPR debate has heard.

Experts and officials discussed the issues in front of an audience of more than 100 men and women in Kunar’s provincial capital Asadabad last month.  

Suhaila Babar, head of Kunar’s women’s affairs department, said, “The fact that we have neither no detention facilities for women has led to serious problems for female prisoners in Kunar.”

“When a women is convicted, everyone is confused and over what can be done with the guilty party. There is no alternative besides sending her to Nangarhar,” said Noor Rahman Noor, head of Kunar’s men-only detention centre.

 “Being far away from relatives and the resulting limitations on meetings are the main problem for female prisoners,” he continued.

“Building a female prison in Kunar province is vitally important,” said Ghulam Hussain Bewas, representing the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in the eastern zone.

Haji Sher Zameen, secretary of Kunar’s provincial council, agreed this was a priority and all the panelists joined together to call for a women-only detention centre to be built.

Noor said the lack of a women’s prison reflected wider problems with gender equality.

 “We have just one female police officer and one female civilian working for the police department in Kunar,” he said. “When people are not ready to let their daughters and sisters join the police force, how can they expect a women’s prison to be built?"

This report was produced under IWPR’s Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance in Afghanistan initiative, funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan.