JezK

Edit File: 1656415542.M575306P22829.mocha3025.mochahost.com,S=20698,W=21067:2,S

Envelope-to: gulzai@jack.ngo
Delivery-date: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:25:42 -0400
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 11:25:01 +0000 (UTC)
From: INSO_AFG_NORTHEAST_SA <sa.northeast@afg.ngosafety.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Message-ID: <UW0SvxZfQKmpp_3A8Em5rQ@geopod-ismtpd-1-1>
Subject: INSO REPORT =?UTF-8?B?4oCTIEFGRyDigJM=?= NORTHEASTERN REGION: IEA
 Vice and Virtue Policy
To: Naseer Ahmad Gulzai <gulzai@jack.ngo>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN' 'http://www.w3.org=
/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd'><html><body><head><meta name=3D'viewport'=
 content=3D'initial-scale=3D1.0'><title>Alert Update</title></head><body><c=
enter><table width=3D"580" style=3D" width: 580px;  border:1px solid #C1C2C=
4; margin: 0 auto; background: #fff; text-align: center; border-collapse: c=
ollapse;" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
=09
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"width: 100%; height: 27px; background-color: #5376b6; font-=
size: 7.5pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; color: white; vertical-align=
: middle; text-align: center;">
				This report is for the exclusive use of INSO partners and must not be s=
hared outside your organisation			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"text-align: left;">
				<table style=3D"width: 100%;" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
				=09
						<tr>
							<td style=3D"width: 38%;">
								<img src=3D"https://partners.ngosafety.org/assets/img/report.png"/>
							</td>
							<td style=3D"width: 62%">
								<div>
									<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>
								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
				=09
				</table>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"text-align: justify;">
				<table style=3D"width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #C1C2C4;" cellpaddin=
g=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
				=09
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">LOCATION=
</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">Afghanistan, Northeastern Regio=
n</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INCIDENT=
 TYPE</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								IEA Vice and Virtue Policy 								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">DATE & T=
IME</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								28/06/2022 14:45								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INFORMAT=
ION</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The IEA departments for the Pro=
motion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) have assigned staff in white=
 uniforms in all four provinces of the Northeastern Region. The leadership =
of these departments remained unchanged since 18 December 2021.<br /><br />=
In Baghlan Province, IEA PVPV department&rsquo;s promoted rules regarding f=
emale staff&rsquo;s participation to project implementation further challen=
ge NGOs&rsquo; activities. In the first half of June, in Baghlan Province, =
the department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice started v=
isiting NGO compounds in Pul-e Khumri City. During one of the meetings with=
 the representatives of an NGO regional office, the IEA PVPV department&rsq=
uo;s personnel informed the staff present regarding the rules they should f=
ollow. Men were asked to stop shaving or trimming their beards, and that th=
ey should identify among themselves a spiritual leader for the NGO&rsquo;s =
office, who would liaise with the PVPV department regarding the socially ac=
ceptable rules and to enforce them on their behalf. Women, who were also pr=
esent in the meeting, were informed that the hijab and a medical mask or a =
scarf is appropriate to cover themselves and that the PVPV department does =
not request them to wear chadri. Furthermore, regarding the female staff fr=
eedom of movement, the PVPV personnel added that the presence of a mahram w=
ould not be necessary as long as the beneficiaries that the staff would int=
eract with are only women. The female NGO staff members will require the pr=
esence of a mahram if they need to travel beyond the distance of 72 km from=
 the point of departure. Finally, the PVPV personnel informed NGOs to have =
separate quarters for female staff.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">In Badakhshan, the IEA strictly enforce=
 the &lsquo;vice and virtue&rsquo; rules. Alcohol consumption is punished s=
everely, the IEA police forces physically assault suspects prior to taking =
them into custody, while music continues to be forbidden even in the case o=
f private events. The IEA security forces continue to enforce strict &lsquo=
;vice and virtue&rsquo; rules regarding women&rsquo;s freedom of movement. =
In the first fortnight of May, security forces manning a VCP in Tagab Distr=
ict verbally assaulted a female NGO staff member for travelling without mah=
ram beyond the 45 miles (72 km) limit. On 16 May, another female humanitari=
an worker, an IO staff member, was also verbally assaulted in a VCP, in Arg=
o District, for a similar reason. Female staff members representing NGOs al=
so witnessed challenges in trying to engage with the local authorities of F=
ayzabad City, where the provincial governor and the head of the Department =
of Economy refused to interact with women during official meetings, asking =
the NGO to send a male representative.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">In Kunduz Province, local reports sugge=
st that while the IEA does verbally inform residents regarding vice and vir=
tue rules, no official banns are enforced. Advertising continues to be seen=
 throughout the city, however the murals portraying children playing and pr=
o-environment messages covering the anti-blast walls of military or police =
facilities have been covered and painted over this past spring.<br /><br />=
</div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">In Takhar, the IEA continued to strictl=
y enforce vice and virtue rules for both genders. Since December 2021, nine=
 civilians, five of whom were women, were physically assaulted for alleged =
violations of the IEA-promoted social rules regarding the consumption of al=
cohol, attending prayers, and conservative outfit.</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ANALYSIS=
</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The IEA-promoted social rules c=
ontinued to be implemented unevenly in the provinces of the Northeastern Re=
gion.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">While in Kunduz Province the operationa=
l environment did not change with regards to the IEA&rsquo;s enforcement of=
 these regulations, in Baghlan Province personnel of the Department for the=
 Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue have started inspecting NGO com=
pounds to ensure compliance with the new social behaviour rules. While rule=
s against men shaving their facial hair were allegedly already being enforc=
ed, more concerning remain the potential restrictions that female NGO staff=
 members might witness when travelling outside Pul-e Khumri City, given the=
 largely decentralised security forces and in several cases the lack of dir=
ect lines of communication between the provincial IEA official issuing thes=
e directives and the rank-and-file IEA members. As the Baghlan Province&rsq=
uo;s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice department policies continu=
e to evolve, contextual challenges regarding female staff members participa=
tion in NGO project implementation activities may be expected, as well as v=
arying approaches to the enforcement of vice and virtue rules by the IEA se=
curity forces. It is likely that NGOs will be required to allocate addition=
al resources, coordination, and mediation efforts to counter potential acce=
ss challenges stemming from the new IEA-promoted rules regarding the freedo=
m of movement of female staff.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The operational environment for female =
NGO staff members in Badakhshan Province continued to deteriorate as the IE=
A members, rank-and-file as well as some provincial-level officials, choose=
 who they receive for official meetings or who is allowed to proceed with t=
heir humanitarian relief-related activities based on gender, adding to the =
existent challenges the NGOs face. While previous reports suggest that fema=
le NGO staff members have had for a while now challenges with the manner in=
 which the IEA rank-and-file members have enforced the vice and virtue rule=
s regarding women&rsquo;s freedom of movement or dress code, the situation =
might further worsen should the IEA members manning VCPs translate the disc=
riminatory behaviour of some of their higher-ups as approval for a more hos=
tile behaviour towards women. Since 01 January 2022, INSO recorded only one=
 case of physical violence against women owed to alleged violation of vice =
and virtue rules in the entire Badakhshan Province, however, based on anecd=
otal evidence, the phenomenon is likely to be underreported, victims fearin=
g the potential retaliation of the very police forces they are supposed to =
report such incidents to. In the coming weeks, as the administration consol=
idates, the operational environment from a gender perspective is likely to =
become more conservative. While in Badakhshan Province, the IEA officials m=
ade no statement regarding the women rights to employment, it is possible t=
hat some local administrations are trying to discourage humanitarian relief=
 actors from retaining female staff members by increasingly adding challeng=
es for those NGOs which implement projects through women employees. NGOs ca=
n counter such practices by negotiating access for female humanitarian reli=
ef workers by themselves, or through advocacy bodies such as ACBAR or OCHA =
who should be engaged to advocate on NGOs&rsquo; behalf.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The local IEA leadership&rsquo;s standi=
ng within the communities they have been appointed to lead seems to impact =
the extent to which IEA-promoted &lsquo;vice and virtue rules&rsquo; are en=
forced. For example, while in Baghlan Province the current leadership, such=
 as the provincial governor and provincial chief of police, were appointed =
by the Kabul-based IEA and hail from Kandahar Province, in Badakhshan Provi=
nce the incumbents of these positions are local, ethnic Tajik, from Darayem=
 and Khash districts. If in Badakhshan the provincial authorities can rely =
on local support to back their decisions, and, if necessary, counter any re=
action of civilians against the strict enforcement of &lsquo;vice and virtu=
e' rules, the case of Baghlan is the opposite. With irregular NRF activity =
in the west of the province, a measure of internal IEA disputes ongoing, an=
d a majority Tajik population who may begin to feel it is losing representa=
tion in front of an ethnic Pashtun leadership in local administration, the =
provincial authorities are less likely to risk a possible escalation of suc=
h latent tensions by strictly enforcing the rules that the PVPV personnel h=
ave announced during the abovementioned visits at NGO compounds in Pul-e Kh=
umri City.</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ADVICE</=
div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGO staff members should be awa=
re of the latest IEA-promoted vice and virtue rules made through PVPV perso=
nnel, which may be communicated orally during NGO compound visits. NGO safe=
ty managers should inform staff concerning the latest updates on the vice a=
nd virtue matters and of potential risks in case of non-compliance with the=
 IEA-promoted behavioural rules. Reporting should be done internally as wel=
l as externally, to the broader NGO community, including through coordinati=
on fora such as INSO, ACBAR, or OCHA.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGOs should prioritise engagement with =
IEA authorities to deconflict potential issues related to female staff, and=
 refrain, in accordance with internal policies, from censoring the dress or=
 behaviour of their staff.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGO safety managers should advocate for=
 unhindered humanitarian access for their staff members and ask for the sup=
port of the established humanitarian coordination bodies, OCHA and ACBAR,&n=
bsp; to promote principled NGO project implementation in the meetings with =
the IEA authorities.</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ISSUED B=
Y</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">SA Northeast, Eliade Al-Hamdoun=
i<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;"><a href=3D"mailto:sa.northeast@afg.ngos=
afety.org">sa.northeast@afg.ngosafety.org</a></div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INSO SER=
IAL #</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								AFGHANISTAN/NORTHEAST/R/28062022/#001								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
										=09
				</table>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"width: 100%; border:1px solid #C1C2C4; background-color:#53=
76b6; padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; height:63px; font-size:7.5pt; font-family:'A=
rial', sans-serif; color:white; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;=
">
				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>
<!-=
-</a>-->
							</td>
		</tr>
=09
</table></center><img src=3D"http://url2410.afg.ngosafety.org/wf/open?upn=
=3DdCfR1t3eohnNXEZqpKpvTVt5TvqwGWkRI04J-2FNM-2FN1HvAgEaQSmh9x1o3wA1lEa-2BqZ=
9hFHabAOIbPB5txblnvmRtPdcCBFGM3-2BK2sOXwBAfrKVh7LCIg49-2BXQFjsgYZqwbP0VXFo-=
2F0qmUBsk7-2Fy6bWjuefNGIW3BHD-2Ba7vILN5D6XVnT5LYzpwHoFVGzXVQgA73Mb-2BJYLXBx=
mH4gs6e7dzL4SAeK48a2YI5qMgkiiKA-3D" alt=3D"" width=3D"1" height=3D"1" borde=
r=3D"0" style=3D"height:1px !important;width:1px !important;border-width:0 =
!important;margin-top:0 !important;margin-bottom:0 !important;margin-right:=
0 !important;margin-left:0 !important;padding-top:0 !important;padding-bott=
om:0 !important;padding-right:0 !important;padding-left:0 !important;"/></b=
ody></html>