Afghanistan Activities

Our Activities in Afghanistan

JCCP has conducted the following three projects in Afghanistan: 1) DDR Project (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of military), 2) Landmine Removal Project and 3) Support for Women’s Empowerment Project.

JCCP began its activities in Afghanistan in 2002 with a vocational training programme aimed at the reintegration of ex-militants. JCCP then established a policy of “improving the international contribution of Japan in humanitarian landmine removal field as a means for conflict prevention”, and subsequently launched a landmine removal project in Afghanistan, following a similar project executed in Sri Lanka.

In 2002, the landmine removal project began with research and data collection, followed by Japanese technical advisor training and capacity-building activities. Finally, in 2005, JCCP launched its full-fledged landmine removal project. In addition, research showed that the collapse of the Taliban regime had left women as the most vulnerable and at risk. Therefore, JCCP broadened its scope to include a project for the promotion of female social status and initiatives to help increase their income.

Through the projects above, JCCP has played an active role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and peace-building process.

DDR Program

In 2002, JCCP launched a project for vocational training of Afghan ex-soldiers, as part of the reintegration process of the undergoing DDR Programme (Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration of combatants) in Afghanistan.

Having carried firearms since childhood and experienced long years of violent conflict, many Afghan soldiers had never been given the opportunity of long-term education or work. Lacking literacy and other vocational skills, these ex-soldiers found it almost impossible to pursue a career anywhere other than the army and to reintegrate into society.

JCCP thus developed a program which would provide ex-militants with both vocational training in metal and wood work, and basic educational skills such as literacy education and arithmetic. In addition, the project included group discussions and dialogues from guest speakers and regional activities such as repairing local schools and houses, contributing to the mutual understanding between the ex-combatants and the local population. Through comprehensive projects such as these, JCCP was successful in raising the ex-combatants awareness of vocational training and motivation to master new labor skills, playing a vital role in the smooth reintegration of ex-combatants,

Having completed the DDR project in 2006, project participants were subsequently hired to build a fence, desks and chairs for a school built by another NGO, receiving a high appreciation from the community.

Landmine Removal

Given the twenty-three years of civil war and subsequent peace-building processes in Afghanistan, JCCP believes that the key for reconstruction is the establishment of “safe ground”, meaning land free from mines on which it is safe to live. As part of Japan’s assistance to Afghan reconstruction, JCCP planned a new landmine and Unexploded Ordinances (UXO) removal project, dispatching two Japanese Technical Advisors on landmine removal and bomb disposal to Afghanistan on March 30th, 2005.

The project took place in Bagram District, Parwan Province, located North of the capital Kabul. The manual clearing method was selected as the most effective way of ensuring the detection of every landmine. Each demining team was composed of two team leaders, eight section leaders, 41 manual landmine removal personnel, one emergency doctor, three emergency nurses, and two emergency drivers.

The landmine removal process began with the execution of Battle Area Clearance (BAC). Team members form a row, and proceed to finding and handling ammunition and unexploded ordinances on the surface. For this operation, firstly a safety zone is ensured with emergency cars and demining equipment, ammunition and scrap metal collection sites are then settled, and toilets, escape routes, medical stations etc. are set up. Only after this preparation is the demining team finally ready to commence landmine removal operations.

It remains unknown how many landmines remain in Afghanistan remains unknown. It has been estimated at ten million, while UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) has put the number at around 5 to7 million. Furthermore, NGO research claims a figure of 1 million of less.

The Landmine Monitor Report 2007 found that 463,807 landmines were destroyed in Afghanistan in 2006, demining was executed in area of 25.93km2, and Battle Area Clearance operations were executed in an area of 107.7km2.

The existence of landmines represents not only a great obstacle to the return of refugees and internally-displaced persons, but also exerts a great deal of negative influence on the development of the region. For this reason, JCCP set the three following objectives: 1)To demine and create residential or farming land to promote the return of refugees and IDPs; 2)to create an environment proper for economic reconstruction activities; and 3)to employ ex-soldiers and unemployed youngsters as landmine removal staff, in order to foster their social reintegration. Thus, JCCP aimed to diminish the number of victims of landmine and unexploded devices, as well as to support regional reconstruction.

JCCP was responsible for demining in landmine field no. 113 (22,958m2) and no. 114 (9,163m2), located in Karai Ahmadjan Village in Bagram District, Parwan Province. BAC was executed in an area of 2,121m2 and demining in an area of 7.000m2. Bagram had been assigned as a refugee/IDP return and relocation area, and thus JCCP’s project was vital in ensuring that the land was demined as early as possible and thus ready for their return.

Women's Empowerment

Due to the extended conflict, many Afghans had no access to education and encountered difficulties in later life in finding a job and earning a living. Among these, war-widows are the most vulnerable, since they have no means to earn money and are forced to live in dire poverty. Also, since women were banned from receiving an education under the Taliban regime, the female literacy rate is extremely low, and most of them have no form of special labor skills. JCCP’s activities were therefore geared towards supporting the empowerment and independence of these women.

In order to elevate the female position in society and raise their economic status, JCCP conducted a vocational training and basic literacy education project especially for Afghan women. Marketing skills were also included in the training, so that they could sell their own needlework and other craftworks. Follow-up research was implemented to monitor their progress after training.

Starting in November, 2005, in Mushwaran Village, located in Kalakan District, Kabul Province, JCCP implemented a female empowerment project, teaching local women not only how to sew, but also how to sell their finished articles and thus improve their income. Also, since villagers have been able to observe the enthusiasm of the women towards both housework and vocational training, there has been a positive change in the way women are seen, thus contributing to the elevation of women’s social status. However, the greatest change induced by this project has taken place in the women’s hearts and minds, since past feelings of impotence and despair have been transformed into the ability to speak freely of their dreams and hopes for the future.

Conflict Background

Surrounded by Pakistan, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, Afghanistan has a long history of suffering at the mercy of external pressure, including from ex-Soviet Union and the United States. From the USSR invasion in 1979, a civil war was born among Afghan military groups which lasted for over twenty years. Then, in 2001, with the invasion of by the USA and the collapse of the Taliban regime, the country suddenly found itself the main focus of international attention.

Following the demise of the Taliban, the Emergency Loya Jirga (tribal leaders’ commission) started the regime transition in June 2002, proclaiming the new Constitution in January 2004. In 2005 parliamentary democratic elections were held, and Afghanistan finally gave its first step towards a peace process.

As a measure of ensuring domestic security, Security Sector Reform (SSR) began in the form of international support for the new Afghan government. The United States became responsible for the reconstruction of a formal Afghan army, Germany for the reconstruction of a police force, Italy for legislative reform, the United Kingdom for counternarcotics operations and Japan, along with UNAMA, took responsibility for DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of ex-combatants).

At the same time, a grand-scale reconstruction programme led by international society has been ongoing throughout the country, and once ruined townscapes are now being rebuilt. However, DDR and the reconstruction of the military and police security forces have not been successful, and the Taliban, after seizing back some of its forces, has been attacking and terrorizing the southern areas of the country increasingly in the past years. Currently, foreign forces such as the coalition offensive Operation Moshtarak, or the Provincial Reconstruction Team led by ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) are placed in Afghanistan and working to find a solution for the country’s stability.

It is crucial that Afghanistan establishes a self-sustainable security sector and creates a framework for its peace process, as well as working towards stabilization in the form of social-economic reconstruction, and continuing medium and long-term political reform processes.