MPs: Britain is 'failing Afghan women'

Britain is failing to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to improving the lives of Afghan women, a influential committee of MPs said Thursday. A string of promises to boost the rights of females in the war-torn nation "have not been followed by adequate and specific action and funding", they warned. The House of Commons international development al-party committee said the fate of women in Afghan society after the withdrawal of international troops would be the "acid test" of the success of aid. But in some aspects the situation for women seemed to have gone backwards over the last five years, undermining improvements seen following the fall of the Taliban regime, it suggested. A higher priority should be given to girls' education as well as shelters and legal services for women, the MPs concluded, saying the present funding was welcome but "a lot more" should be done. In its latest report, the committee called for the UK to switch the focus of its aid from securing a "viable state" towards directly providing services and anti-poverty action. The MPs said that on a recent fact-finding trip, the situation for women "appeared to us to have deteriorated in some respects since our last visit in 2007". "The women we met on our visit including female politicians were nervous about what would happen when international combat troops departed in 2014," they reported. "We believe that the treatment of women in Afghanistan post-2014 will be the litmus test as to whether the military and development spending over the last 10 years has succeeded in improving the lives of ordinary Afghans. "Although DfID (the Department for International Development) and the UK Government have spoken at length about women's rights and women in Afghanistan, we are concerned that this has not been followed by adequate and specific action and funding." Calling for DfID to be "flexible" in its planning for the post-transition period, the committee said the Government "may have to recognise that a viable state may not be achievable". The Government's own analysis suggested small-scale rural development projects had proved significantly more effective than larger government-based work. "We recommend the UK Government reconsider the 'viable state' ambition for DfID in Afghanistan, giving greater emphasis to the provision of services and alleviating poverty." Committee chairman Sir Malcolm Bruce said: "Many British soldiers have died or been injured in the attempt to give Afghanistan a better future. "The Afghan people want their country to succeed, and the UK should continue to support them with a major aid budget in the country after the troops leave. "It is questionable whether DfID has the capacity to build a viable state but we should be able to deliver effective development." Meanwhile, a DfID spokesman said: "We agree that women's rights should be at the heart of our work in Afghanistan. UK funding is already making a big difference - it has helped get 2.2 million girls into school, and our 19.5 million pounds Tawanmandi civil society programme is providing over half its grants to Afghan women's organisations. "But we agree that massive challenges remain. That is why the new minister has pledged to do more to make sure Afghan women have the opportunity to take decisions that affect their own lives. "Preventing sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict countries is a priority across Government, which is why last month the Foreign Secretary announced 1 million pounds to support the UN on sexual violence in conflict. "Afghanistan will remain one of the poorest countries in the world for many years to come. The UK is committed for the long term and has pledged to maintain current levels of assistance until at least 2017."