UNODC

My activity in UNODC Supporting women and children in the crisis of war and addiction

During the years when war and insecurity affected the lives of Afghan people, I worked in a UNODC project that aimed to protect women and children from drug abuse. In these difficult conditions, our responsibility was not only to implement a project; Rather, it was a human commitment to save the future of children who were caught in the middle of war and addiction.

In this project, helping women and children who were exposed to harm caused by addiction was one of the most important priorities. Our effort was to provide the necessary information and awareness to families to prevent the new generation from getting caught in this crisis. The war, in addition to the insecurity, had also made the path of relief more difficult, but my team of colleagues and I were committed to accomplishing this mission despite all the obstacles.

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Challenges and risks

Hundreds of people have been tortured, imprisoned and killed for collaborating with international organizations

The Taliban had banned any kind of activity in international organizations

Taliban, the center of evil and war in the region

Working in an environment full of insecurity was always accompanied by serious risks and many restrictions. Some areas were under the control of armed groups, and access to needy families had many challenges. At times, the conditions became so dangerous that it was not possible to travel in certain areas. But with all these problems, my responsibility towards these families and the future of the children was the motivation to continue.

One of the biggest threats I faced in this project was the threats from armed and rebel groups. Cooperation with foreign institutions and international organizations such as UNODC in the areas controlled by these groups brought serious risks.

In such areas, any cooperation with foreign organizations was not only illegal but also a serious crime and the individual or team could be subject to severe punishments.

In many cases, it was not possible to reach the affected families and individuals in the areas controlled by these groups, and our efforts to help them could lead to death threats or arrests. In such a situation, the physical and security risks for team members and people who cooperated with us were very serious.

These harsh conditions, in addition to the physical dangers, severely limited our abilities to provide effective assistance, but despite all these threats, we continued to try to help, however small, reach these people.

Achievements and impact of this experience on me

This experience was beyond a professional activity for me. I learned that even in the most difficult situations, even a small change can bring hope back into people’s lives. This experience strengthened my ability to manage crisis, work in difficult situations and support the victims and made me more committed to humanitarian activities.