You are here: Home › News › Dr Hossain Ali Ramoz, Afghanistan IHRC

Dr Hossain Ali Ramoz, Afghanistan IHRC

October 2008: "Our job is not a job, it is a struggle. And our work begins with taking risks – that is the only way to make progress for human rights in Afghanistan,” says the Executive Director of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.

Dr Hossain Ali Ramoz is the Executive Director of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Established in 2002, the organisation has grown to employ more than 650 staff, with offices in 12 regional provinces.

A trained doctor, Ramoz has also been heavily involved in building and strengthening Afghanistan’s fledgling civil society network. Before joining the AIHRC in 2004, he founded four important organisations: the Afghan Civil Society Forum, Foundation for Culture and Civil Society, Women in Politics Network and Free and Fair Elections Afghanistan, where he was the inaugural Chairperson.

Here he discusses the challenges of leading a national human rights institution in a country grappling with war and conflict.

"There are so many tragedies in Afghanistan. Every letter that comes to me reveals another story of violation. This job has made me aware of how many agonies and pains the people of Afghanistan have endured.

"They have been through three decades of war. They have lost members of their family, they have lost their security. During the time of the Taliban their daughters did not have the chance to go to school. So they know the importance of human rights and the importance of the Commission.

"People are still hopeful for the future, but they have serious concerns about the security situation, the stability of the country and justice. That is why it is very important to promote democracy and human rights in different dimensions – to have free and fair elections, to raise the voice of the people.

"Civil society in Afghanistan is not very strong so we help these organisations to be coordinated and united, to identify their priorities and mobilise the people so they can bring pressure for a better quality of democracy in the country."

Credibility

"The Commission is seen by the public as being independent. It has a high level of credibility and people come to us with their complaints because they trust us. We are one of the few organisations they believe can help them.

"The high level of illiteracy and the remoteness of many parts of Afghanistan can make it difficult to communicate our message. But we promote human rights and the role of the Commission on radio and television and each month we hold many workshops around the country that reach out to vulnerable groups.

"Only a few months ago we enshrined human rights in the curriculum of schools. This will bring a human rights message directly to millions of students and we hope that they will carry this message back to their homes to share with their families.

"However, we also need to be realistic. The situation of human rights in Afghanistan is fragile. There are powerful, conservative forces and political parties that are opposed to the work of the Commission and who do not want the people to know their basic rights and freedoms.

"In the long run, however, the responsibility to defend the human rights of the people belongs to the government. They have made certain commitments to the people and they have the executive power to uphold those promises. If the government fail in this, then the people will lose hope in the government."

Challenges

"A major challenge we face is the growing insecurity in the country. Some regions are safer but some parts of the country, particularly in the south and the east, have a greater presence of Taliban and face more attacks. We provide extra support to these regions and take steps to protect Commission staff, but we need to be working there.

"The international forces operate in these areas and when they hand over detainees to the national security forces it is important we are there to keep an eye on things. Monitoring the civilian casualties caused by the international forces in the southern area of Afghanistan is another important role.

"Building the capacity of the Commission is also a priority for us. As our organisation grows in size, the expectations of the people and the number of services we need to provide are also growing. But after three decades of war, many experts have left the country. So we need to spend a lot of time, effort and money to train our staff."

Taking risks

"Our job is not a job, it is a struggle. We do not come to work just to do routine activities, we come to fight. And our work begins with taking risks – that is the only way to make progress for human rights in Afghanistan.

"Over the past four years I have learnt so much, things that are not in any management book. I have learnt how much an institution can grow – and that comes from a leadership who want to see an organisation improve, to become better, to build the trust and confidence of the people.

"Even in the hardest circumstances, you can work to improve the human rights of people. And despite the many difficulties, we are optimistic about the future. To see a better future for Afghanistan is the most rewarding horizon for us."