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Oxfam: NATO Must Do More to Prevent Abuses by Afghan Security Forces

09 May 2011 23:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. International aid agency Oxfam says the NATO force in Afghanistan must do more to prevent human rights abuses by Afghan security personnel before transferring security responsibilities to them later this year, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.
In a report titled â€œNo Time to Lose,â€ Oxfam said Tuesday it has â€œserious concernsâ€ about the professionalism and accountability of Afghan soldiers and police who will take the lead in security matters as coalition troops begin to withdraw in July.
The aid agency says there is a â€œserious riskâ€ that Afghan military and police violations of human rights and humanitarian law will â€œescalateâ€ unless adequate accountability mechanisms are put in place.
Its report accuses Afghan security personnel of various abuses against civilians, including killings, torture, recruitment and sexual abuse of children, and mistreatment of people under detention. It says Afghan security forces were responsible for at least 10 percent of the 2,777 civilian deaths in the country last year.
Oxfam accuses NATO of paying more attention to building up the number of Afghan soldiers and police than developing the quality of those forces. It says an estimated 40,000 Afghan police have had no training at all.
A coalition spokesman responded by telling VOA that NATO is â€œcontinually workingâ€ with its Afghan partners to improve their training and capability to provide safety and security to the Afghan people.