Crime only part of the battle for Afghan policewoman

SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan — In insurgency-plagued Afghanistan, women rarely serve in police uniform in the conservative country. But Shafiqa Shirzad dared to join the police force in her home province of Jawzjan.

“The love for the country and love for the police uniform inspired me to join the police ranks and serve our people,” Shafiqa said.

Now with 10 years’ service behind her, Shafiqa, 28, told how she initially kept from her family the decision to join the force, out of fears of a possible backlash.

In the deeply conservative and patriarchal Afghanistan, many people, especially in the countryside, hold to tribal and old-fashioned traditions that forbid women and girls from leaving the home without being accompanied by a male close relative.

The independently minded Shafiqa rejected those traditions and cultural barriers to realize her dream of becoming a policewoman.

“Wearing a police uniform in a conservative society creates many enemies for you,” Shafiqa said. “I’m still receiving threatening phone calls.”

In militancy-plagued Afghanistan, where some 20 insurgent groups such as the Taliban, al-Qaida, the Islamic State and associated outfits are active, serving in the police or in the military is full of risk.

Over a dozen policewomen have reportedly been killed by militants in recent years. In the latest attack, Taliban militants shot dead a policewoman in the northern Kunduz Province last week, local officials said.

However, Shafiqa downplays such threats, saying “solid resolve and continued struggle can help you achieve your goals in society.”

Half of society

Women make up half of society and they should be empowered to jointly build a developed country, said Shafiqa, who sees her work in the police department in Jawzjan Province — almost 400 kilometers north of Kabul — as helping in that quest.

She encourages women to join the police, and for girls to aspire to police work as a career. Shafiqa allows herself to boast that dozens of women have joined the force, following the support she has received in her province.

Shafiqa married a fellow police officer a year ago. She has participated in a series of police operations against militants in parts of the Jawzjan and Faryab provinces, helping to inspire women to contribute to law and order in the country.

Her biggest supporter, husband Nabi Shirzad, said: “I am proud of my wife that she is a police officer and serving her people fearlessly.”

Jawzjan police spokesman Masoud Nadim said more than 70 female officers are working in branches of the police force in the province. He credits Shafiqa with being an inspiration for women and girls.