Remarks of Brigadier General Aziza Naziri

Afghan National Police

Chair of the Opening Ceremony

of the

International Islamic Police Women’s Conference

held

October 21 to 15, 2007

at the

Serena Hotel

Kabul, Afghanistan

In the name God, the merciful, the compassionate.

With the permission of their excellencies the Minister of Interior Affairs, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, and ambassadors and guests from donor countries, members of the National Council, dear audience and colleagues:

First of all I would like to welcome you all to this magnificent ceremony. Let us start our conference with some verses from the Holy Quran recited by Ms. Fatima.

Thanks to Ms. Fatima

Honorable audience and guests!
It is a pleasure that the first ever International Islamic Police Women’s Conference, which will be considering the idea of Islamic police women contributing to a secure future, is being held in the capital city of Afghanistan with the participation of police women from Tajikistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Iran, and Afghanistan. Our conference will take place over four days. Financial assistance for the conference has been provided by CIDA, GTZ, Norway and UNIFEM. This kind of conference brings unity among police women from Muslim countries and Afghanistan. Once again I would like to welcome the guests from other countries to this conference.

I would now like to ask His Excellency the Minister of Interior Affairs to say a few words.

Thanks for the informative and meaningful words of his Excellency the Minister of Interior Affairs.

Police Women’s Background in Afghanistan:
In 1967, the Afghan government supported the recruitment of six women into the Police Academy after they had graduated from 12th grade high school. After three years of education they graduated as second lieutenants in the police. Because the government’s initiative was very well received, nine other Grade12 women were recruited and graduated from the Police Academy in 1971, as second lieutenants. These police women were deployed to serve the citizens of Afghanistan. General Sharifa Rasouli and I are graduates from that time.

In those days, both men and women were eager to join the ANP. Those who were healthy and had no criminal record were recruited into the police after passing the matriculation exams. It is interesting to note that at that time the families approved of sending their daughters to join the police and to work in larger society. Unfortunately, the political and social situation means now that fewer families are willing to send their daughters to work outside the home, especially as a policing professional. 

I would now like to introduce Dr. Hosan Bano Ghazanfar, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, to speak to us.

Thank you your Excellency, the Minister of Women’s Affairs for your insights and wisdom. I would like to mention that this year, 2007, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, on the anniversary of Afghan Independence honored some police women. I would like to thank the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on behalf of the Ministry of Interior Affairs for recognizing the contribution of police women.

Once female privates first class and satanmans were trained in the Police Academy and in police training centre in Kabul and the provinces and then they would contribute to serving society. Today fewer of those women are in the ANP and the rest have left the police owing to the pressure of the present situation.

I would now like to ask his Excellency the Canadian Ambassador to speak.

I would like to thank the Canadian Ambassador for the long-term support of Canada to the Afghan National Police, and especially for Canadian support of Afghan police women.

We police women want our acknowledged sisters who hold positions in parliament and government institutions to assist us in recruiting women into the police as they too are fighting for women’s rights in this male dominated society. By encouraging women they can strengthen the Afghan National Police.

The Norwegian Ambassador is not with us tonight but I would like to mention our appreciation of the long-term continuing support of the Norwegian government in the police sector, and especially Norwegian support to police women.

Section 22 of the Afghan Constitution states that:
“Any kind of discrimination and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan shall be forbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, man and woman, have equal rights and duties before the law”

I would now invite the Country Director of UNIFEM to speak.

Let us thank the Country Director of UNIFEM for her thought provoking and important comments.

Section 24 of the Afghan Constitution states:
“Liberty is the natural right of human beings. This right has no limits unless affecting others freedoms as well as the public interest, which shall be regulated by law. Liberty and human dignity are inviolable. The state shall respect and protect liberty as well as human dignity”

The objective of this conference is interaction between Afghan police women and Muslim police women from other countries. By exchanging ideas and experiences with each other, we hope that Afghan police women will be able to develop their professional capacity and abilities. To further this goal, I support the idea of establishing an international association of police women, to pave the way for holding annual conferences.

As we come to the end of the program I would like to thank all the speakers and all the international friends and colleagues of Afghanistan. We hope this will be a very successful conference.

Thank you