Documenting Afghanistan's views

Dr. Tabasum Akseer spoke to a group of us (UWHAW members and associates) from Kabul, today, where it was midnight by the end of the meeting. She is currently Director of Policy and Research in the Afghanistan division of the Asia Foundation.

Tabasum has spent 30 years of her life in Canada, and was a post-doctoral research fellow and consultant at the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University in Canada. At Queen’s, she also worked as a teaching fellow in the school of Religion, of Languages, Literature and Cultures, and of Gender Studies. She spoke to us about the recent survey of the country’s attitudes and opinions, an exercise that has taken place every year since 2006. For the first time in 15 years, a survey on disabilities has just been made as well. These data are for public consumption and shared with Afghan politicians who then publicly endorse the findings. The AF also customizes presentations to make them palatable: abridged as necessary or given in an appropriate language.

Survey of the Afghan People (2019)

A majority of its citizens feel Afghanistan is heading in the wrong direction. There is little support for people moving abroad for their education and the answers to why women are not employed include the popular answer, “because they’re not needed outside the home.” Women in the highlands of the country earn a mere $100 a month. As a rule, the more responsibility they have in their role, the less support they get. Only 71% of women in the country, the better educated, are aware that peace talks are taking place. In the highlands, that is a mere 30%. More men than women approve of talking with the Taliban in the current negotiations. Both Afghan men (74%) and Afghan women (75%) fear for their personal safety. This is the highest-ever percentage. The most common assaults are physical attacks, racketeering or pick-pocketing.

A sizeable proportion of female citizens admit to being afraid of voting. They also say it’s not beneficial or they don’t have permission to vote. Women often have no access to the internet. Those who do, use it to follow Facebook or the news, or to watch videos. 17% of women “don’t know” (or won’t say) what they’re doing on the internet. Re. clothing, the burka or niqaab are for 28% of women the most popular garments; significantly more men than women approve of these.

One hopeful sign: people’s support for peace, and awareness of efforts to achieve peace, is increasing.

Model Disability Survey

The proportion of people with disabilities has risen by 14% since 2005. What determines disability? — marital status, unemployment, overcrowding, dependence, lack of access to assistance.

Disability increases with age and more women than men are affected. The number of disabled people decreases in relation to their level of education, leading observers to conclude that in Afghanistan, a low level of education is a cause of disability rather than a result of it. Separated/divorced/widowed women tend to be more disabled and in the highlands, 25% of people have a disability. In answer to a question about “assistive devices”, 44% of women didn’t even know such help exists.