Afghanistan Clothing

Along with access to health care, Afghan women have identified access to jobs as a priority, and this is why U.S. programs stress health, education and skills training. The U.S. has rebuilt hundreds of schools and clinics throughout the country. More females returned to school this year than last year, totaling 35% of the 5.8 million students who returned to school in March 2004. Some 24 job creation projects are teaching women how to make and market honey, textiles, rugs, clothing, pasta, cement blocks and countless other products, contributing indirectly to lifetime earning potential. The U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, a public-private partnership between foundations, NGOs, and individual contributors, also helps in practical ways to help Afghan women succeed in the economic sector. ... [Read More]

International Religious Freedom Report 2002: Afghanistan

Due to religious interpretation imposed by the Taliban, women were expected to leave their homes only while escorted by a male relative, further curtailing the appearance and movement of women in public even while wearing approved clothing. Women who appeared in public without a male relative risked being beaten by members of the religious police. Women were not allowed to drive, and taxi drivers reportedly were beaten if they took unescorted women as passengers. ...

In May 2001, according to news reports, the Taliban was considering an edict requiring Hindus to wear identifying badges on their clothing. On May 23, 2001, Taliban radio announced that the edict had been approved by religious officials; however, Mullah Omar reportedly did not sign the edict and the Taliban did not implement it before the regime fell. The Taliban stated that the intent of the proposed edict was to protect Hindu citizens from harassment by members of the religious police. However, international observers regarded the proposed edict as part of the Taliban’s efforts to segregate and isolate non-Muslim citizens, and to encourage more Hindu migration. The reactions of Hindu citizens reportedly ranged from indifference to outrage. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Excerpt: World Food Program Increases Aid Deliveries to Afghanistan

In Kabul, we completed the distribution of winter packages yesterday to 1,500 IDPs living in districts around the capital city. The assistant package includes cooking and heating stoves supplied with coal, warm clothing, blankets, jerrycans and a small cash grant. Since we re-established our presence in Kabul earlier this month, we have distributed aid to some 3,000 families in and around Kabul to help them cope with the harsh winter. We are also gearing up preparations to send to Kabul 54 trucks of relief material for distribution to 10,000 needy families in central Afghanistan. The relief items are scheduled to be shifted from our Peshawar stock within the next two weeks. ... [Read More]

Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (P4L-YES) – Youth Programs Division – Citizen Exchanges

Upon their return home, alumni groups have formed and been involved with many projects, including clothing drives, community service activities, mentoring younger children and English teaching, immunization drives, and much more. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa

U.S. Department of State______________________________________________________ The State Department does not guarantee the authenticity of documents on the Internet. If for legal or other reasons you require the original version of a document in hard copy, please contact the Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs. Note that State Department information is not copyrighted unless indicated and can be reproduced without consent. Citation of source is appreciated. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material (including photos or graphics) must be obtained from the original source.______________________________________________________BACKGROUND NOTES: AFGHANISTANPUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRSU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEJULY 1994Official Name: Islamic State of AfghanistanPROFILEGeographyArea: 648,000 sq. km. (252,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Texas. Cities (1993 est.): Capital--Kabul (est. 800,000). Other cit ... [Read More]

U.S. Contributes Additional Support for Winterization Assistance in Afghanistan

The United States is pleased to announce an additional contribution of $300,000 to provide vulnerable Afghans in Kabul with shelter materials, fuel, stoves and blankets. We are also pleased that the U.S. National Ski Association in Denver has donated 4,600 winter parkas and 400 ski pants for vulnerable Afghans. Due to the joint efforts of the Departments of Defense and State, the two planeloads of winter clothing are in transit and are expected to arrive in Afghanistan soon for distribution to needy Afghans. ... [Read More]

Afghanistan

According to Human Rights Watch, in September 1999, the Taliban issued decrees that forbade non-Muslims from building places of worship but allowed them to worship at existing holy sites, forbade non-Muslims from criticizing Muslims, ordered non-Muslims to identify their houses by placing a yellow cloth on their rooftops, forbade non-Muslims from living in the same residence as Muslims, and required that non-Muslim women wear a yellow dress with a special mark so that Muslims could keep their distance.  These decrees followed earlier reports that Hindus were required to wear a piece of yellow cloth attached to their clothing to identify their religious identity and that Sikhs were required to wear some form of identification as well.  This system of identification allegedly was imposed to spare non-Muslims from the enforcement of rules that are mandatory for Muslims and from harassment by agents of the PVSV, but the identification system reportedly no longer is enforced. ... [Read More]

Afghanistan

Women were expected to leave their homes only while escorted by a male relative, further curtailing the appearance and movement of women in public even when wearing approved clothing. Women appearing in public without a male relative risked beatings by members of the Taliban. Some observers reported observing fewer and fewer women on the streets in Taliban-controlled areas. Under the Taliban, women were not permitted to drive, and taxi drivers reportedly were beaten for taking unescorted women as passengers. On June 21, religious police arrested four female Afghan WFP employees in a taxi outside the WFP office because they were not accompanied by a male relative. The women were detained for 2 days. In October 2000, taxi drivers were warned by the PVSV not to pick up unaccompanied female passengers at risk of having their driving privileges revoked. Women could ride only on buses designated as women's buses; reportedly there were not enough such buses to meet the demand, and the wait fo ... [Read More]

Essential Services - US Department of State

Humanitarian Assistance: The Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) conducted a humanitarian aid mission on the outskirts of Jalalabad, Nov. 16, providing clothing, blankets, school supplies, and tools to more than 780 men, women, and children living on government land. As of late November, 13 PRTs were operating in Afghanistan. Two more are scheduled to open in the near future, one each in Lashkar Gar and Tarin Kowt. (Defense Dept.) ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Afghanistan is a country of origin for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and labor. Children are trafficked to Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for forced begging, labor, and sexual exploitation. Some parents pay smugglers to take their children into Iran and Saudi Arabia, hoping their children will find work and send remittances; once there, the children become subject to coercive arrangements that constitute involuntary servitude. Children are also "loaned" by their parents to perform agricultural and domestic work within Afghanistan in return for wages paid to the parents; thes ... [Read More]