Female Police Officers In Afghanistan Fighting For Women-only Toilets

Human Rights Watch say female members of Afghanistan police force don't have access to female-only facilities

The women members of Afghanistan's police force don't have access to female-only facilities, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

This means they also have nowhere private to change into their uniforms, which they can't wear to work in case they are marked as a Taliban target.

A senior officer, who did not wish to be named, told The Guardian newspaper: 'We have to use male facilities. Toilets and changing rooms are an absolute necessity for women working in the police.'

Women are also targeted by male colleagues when using shared toilets. An adviser told HRW: 'Those facilities that women do have access to often have peepholes or doors which don't lock. Women have to go in pairs. Toilets are a site of harassment.'

Even in the capital city Kabul, the only female toilets available are in the national headquarters of the Afghanistan police force.

However, despite city police chief Ayoub Salangi ordering the construction of toilets for women in its stations, when The Guardian tried to contact him he denied the shortage of female-only toilets.

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