Recommendation.
1. Do not use the idea of ‘cultural norms’ as an excuse not to protect children experiencing sexual
violence as one of the Six Grave Violations against children recognized by the United Nations.
Authorities should hold perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable and protect victims.
2. Provide training for all deployed Soldiers on CRSV, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and other
threats of SEA which they may encounter downrange. Ensure that they are trained on the protocols
for how to respond to these situations in order to protect civilians – so that they do not turn a blind
eye and also do not exacerbate a situation. This training falls under the wider umbrella of training on
gender dynamics and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS).
3. Create and implement clear policy and authority regarding reporting requirements for Soldiers for
cases of human rights abuses, child abuse, and sexual exploitation; in this policy, include clear
instruction on how to respond to incidents to protect civilian victims when local authorities are
implicit and/or are not taking responsibility for responding to such crimes. The Army could/should
address this issue in a number of ways, such as through specific instruction on this subject during
pre-command courses.
Implications.
Without clear policy (both written and understood), Soldiers may turn a blind eye to such abuses or
not know how to handle these situations. Without training on CRSV, GBV, and other topics under
the purview of WPS, Soldiers may not be prepared to see or handle such incidents downrange;
furthermore, without clear training on how to respond if local authorities do not take action, Soldiers
may respond in a way that has potential negative 2 nd and 3 rd order effects for victim families. (It is
not known whether or not the shoved police officer returned to rape the boy and beat his mother.)
With proper training, Soldiers may respond to such incidents in a way that both addresses the human
rights violation and protects the dignity and human rights of the victim(s) as well as not putting
themselves in danger.
If human rights abuses are tolerated or viewed as merely ‘cultural practices,’ this can have dire
consequences, both for local victims and for the forces. According to the New York Times, “the
American policy of treating child sexual abuse as a cultural issue has often alienated the villages whose
children are being preyed upon.” If this type of abuse is perpetrated by American-funded/backed
allies with no repercussions or accountability, victims of the abuse will continue to
suffer. Furthermore, the legitimacy of the allied police will be undermined and sentiment against
Americans may grow. On military.com, SFC Martland claimed that “the Afghan Local Police had
been ‘committing atrocities,’ raising concerns that many locals viewed as ‘worse than the Taliban’ –
and if locals returned to the Taliban, attacks against U.S. forces would increase.”
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