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Envelope-to: faisal.ahmadzai@jack.ngo
Delivery-date: Tue, 29 Mar 2022 09:19:42 -0400
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Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:19:01 +0000 (UTC)
From: INSO_AFG_CENTRAL_SA <sa.central@afg.ngosafety.org>
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Message-ID: <lv1Db-mmTKKa3QJ9jimWZQ@geopod-ismtpd-2-1>
Subject: INSO REPORT =?UTF-8?B?4oCTIEFGRyDigJM=?= KABUL: New Regulations On
 Mahrams For Air Travel Impact NGO Operations
To: Faisal Ahmadzai <faisal.ahmadzai@jack.ngo>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN' 'http://www.w3.org=
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enter><table width=3D"580" style=3D" width: 580px;  border:1px solid #C1C2C=
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				This report is for the exclusive use of INSO partners and must not be s=
hared outside your organisation			</td>
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									<div><span style=3D"font-size:24.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0=
; padding: 0; font-family:'Arial', sans-serif; color:#5376b6">&nbsp;&nbsp;R=
EPORT</span></div>
									<div><span style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0=
; padding: 0; font-family:'Arial', sans-serif; color:#182748">&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ATTENTION RECOMMENDED</span></div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">LOCATION=
</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">Afghanistan, Kabul Province, Ka=
bul City, <a href=3D"https://goo.gl/maps/3t7Uv4yxxmyZTpqj7">HKIA</a> Area</=
div>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INCIDENT=
 TYPE</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								New Regulations On Mahrams For Air Travel								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">DATE & T=
IME</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								25/03/2022 08:00								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INFORMAT=
ION</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
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<p style=3D"text-align: justify;">On 25 March, several Afghan women attempt=
ing to board international flights to various destinations on multiple airl=
ines were denied boarding, despite being in possession of valid tickets, pa=
ssports, and other necessary documents. At the time, officials at HKIA indi=
cated that Afghan women would not be allowed to travel by air without being=
 accompanied by a mahram (male guardian).<br /><br />Following the incident=
, media reports citing officials of commercial airlines, IEA officials, and=
 other sources confirmed that a related directive had been issued to airlin=
es and travel agents, citing earlier Ministry for the Prevention of Vice an=
d Promotion of Virtue guidelines stating that women travelling more than 72=
 km (45 miles) must travel with a mahram. <br /><br />IEA officials have in=
structed travel agencies and airlines to demand proof of the presence of a =
mahram for the full length of the trip when issuing tickets. Based on an in=
formal survey&nbsp; among multiple Kabul-based travel agents, accepted mahr=
ams include an individual's father, brother, and husband. The issuance of t=
ickets reportedly requires the provision of various additional documentatio=
n proving the existance of an appropriate relationship between the female t=
raveller and her mahram, such as a marriage license or the Tazkiras of the =
respective relative. It remains unclear whether officials at HKIA conduct f=
urther controls of the related documentation prior to departure.<br /><br /=
>Following the initial reports, closed sources confirmed the veracity of th=
e document to INSO, while clarifying that the directive only applies to Afg=
han nationals, but also includes Afghan nationals who hold an additional na=
tionality. However, as of the time of writing, IEA officials have issued no=
 statement on the new directive or provided any further guidance on its con=
tents and scope.</p>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ANALYSIS=
</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The new directive is expected t=
o further impair both humanitarian operations and civilians' ability to tra=
vel substantially by greatly increasing the financial cost of air travel du=
e to the need to pay for a second airfare. While under the current poor eco=
nomic conditions the general population is unlikely to be able to account f=
or this additional expense, given budgetary constraints and accountability =
to donors, movements of female national NGO staff members are likely to be =
similarly curtailed as a result.<br /><br />Beyond the additional financial=
 cost involved, the bureaucratic processes involved in obtaining the necess=
ary documentation to prove the veracity of the required mahram relationship=
 are also likely to pose a significant obstacle. Given the reduced capaciti=
es of most administrative units both in Kabul and even more so in the provi=
nces, processing requests for related certificates will take up significant=
 time. While unverified sources alleged that authorities granted several ex=
ceptions to the mahram requirement for air travel to multiple individuals o=
n 26 March, this was most likely due to the novelty of the directive and sh=
ould not be expected practice going forward.<br /><br />Moreover, given the=
 necessity for all Afghan women to be accompanied by a mahram for all fligh=
ts and the limited number of commercial aircraft currently in use, the dire=
ctive is expected to further limit the number of available seats on most ro=
utes. As such, the directive can be expected to indirectly impact all trave=
llers, irrespective of their gender or nationality.<br /><br />Since the im=
plementation of the new directive on 25 March, anecdotal reports of forged =
mahram documentation being offered through various illicit sources have bee=
n received. Similar to the issuance of passports and other official documen=
ts, the prevalent challenges in obtaining them through legal means can be e=
xpected to open up a black market for mahram certificates, as well as addit=
ional spaces for corruption and bribery.&nbsp;<br /><br />The lack of offic=
ial IEA communications on the directive limits the ability of NGOs and othe=
r stakeholders to adequately respond to the new requirements for air travel=
 and creates additional uncertainty. IEA officials have been highly relucta=
nt to discuss the directive when contacted and the exact origin of the dire=
ctive and whether it is supported by all relevant ministries and government=
 bodies still remains unclear. The absence of an officially communicated de=
finition of what constitutes a mahram for the purpose of the directive in p=
articular may differ between travel agents, further increasing uncertainty.=
<br /><br />As a result of this uncertainty, similar to previously issued d=
irectives related to the use of mahrams and other social behaviour rules, i=
mplementation of the latest air travel rules is likely to be inconsistent a=
nd sporadic. Thus, in practice, implementation may largely depend on the pe=
rsonal interpretation of the directive by individual IEA members.<br /><br =
/>As such, levels of consistency can vary between encounters and may gradua=
lly increase over time. While the new air travel requirements were communic=
ated separately and through different channels, the rapid succession of add=
itional restrictions on social behaviour witnessed over the last 14 days, s=
uch as the extension of the partial ban on girls' secondary education as we=
ll as the gender segregation of visiting times at parks, suggests that addi=
tional restrictions affecting NGO personnel and reputation should be expect=
ed in the near future.</div>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ADVICE</=
div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGOs should inform all staff me=
mbers of the new air travel directive.<br /><br />NGOs are advised to revie=
w internal travel protocols in view of the new regulations and actively lia=
ise with trusted partners, NGO coordination bodies, and government agencies=
 to maintain a clear, up-to-date understanding of related requirements.<br =
/><br />NGOs should deliberate on internal operational and strategic respon=
ses to other potential restrictions in the future that may impact their reg=
ular day-to-day activities.<br /><br />NGOs are strongly discouraged from o=
btaining forged official certificates or engaging in any other illicit acti=
vity to expedite established administrative processes for related documenta=
tion.<br /><br />NGOs are further advised to share the operational challeng=
es this directive presents with ACBAR and OCHA, as well as with their donor=
s, in order to assist in their respective advocacy efforts towards the auth=
orities.</div>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ISSUED B=
Y</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">SA Central, Dennis Ikas<br /><b=
r /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;"><a href=3D"mailto:sa.central@afg.ngosaf=
ety.org">sa.central@afg.ngosafety.org</a></div>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INSO SER=
IAL #</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								AFGHANISTAN/CENTRAL/R/29032022/#001								</div>
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rial', sans-serif; color:white; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;=
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				INSO exists to provide dedicated security services to the NGO community=
. As a free service, INSO and its donors or partners, accept no liability w=
hatsoever for claims as may result from the provision or utilisation of the=
se free services. Whilst every effort is made to the verify data, INSO cann=
ot guarantee the accuracy of information provided. Reproduction of INSO inf=
ormation is prohibited.									<br>
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