Malalai Kakar ( ps, ملالۍ کاکړ; 1967 – 28 September 2008) was the most high-profile policewoman in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2001–2021) during its existence. As lieutenant colonel, she was the head of

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...

's department of crimes against women. Kakar, who received numerous death threats, was assassinated by the Taliban on September 28, 2008. Kakar joined the police force in 1982, following in the footsteps of her father and brothers. She was the first woman to graduate from the Kandahar Police Academy, and the first to become an investigator with the Kandahar Police Department.

Gender issues in Afghan law enforcement

By the end of 2009 there were about 500 active duty policewomen in Afghanistan, compared with about 92,500 policemen. A few dozen served in the southern provinces of

and

Helmand Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

, where the influence of the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...

was strongest. Policewomen played an essential role in the aftermath of the American and allied invasion and overthrow of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In a culture that is marked by a strict separation of the sexes, the security forces needed women to perform special tasks, like the searching of women and homes. They were essential to conduct home searches, since Afghans are deeply offended when male soldiers or police enter premises where women are present, and at checkpoints men cannot search women for concealed weapons and other contraband. In December 2009, Colonel Shafiqa Quraisha, the head of the Gender Issues Unit of the Afghan police, described a

raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

in which insurgents had collected women into a room where weapons were hidden. She was able to search both the women and the room, finding the weapons. Raiding a house, when a female officer is the first one to enter, male residents cannot complain that police had violated

decorum Decorum (from the Latin: "right, proper") was a principle of classical rhetoric, poetry and theatrical theory concerning the fitness or otherwise of a style to a theatrical subject. The concept of ''decorum'' is also applied to prescribed limit ...

by entering a residence with women inside. Hanifa Safi and Najia Sediqi, heads of women affairs in

Laghman Province Laghman (Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It has a population of about 502,148, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. Laghman hosts a large number of historical landmarks, m ...

, were assassinated in 2012. On Thursday 4 July 2013, Islam Bibi, a 37-year-old mother of three and the leading female police officer in

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

, was killed on her way to work. A few months later, on 15 September, Bibi's 38-year-old successor, Negar, was also shot; she died the following day.

Death

Malalai Kakar was shot dead between 7:00am and 8:00am in her car outside of her house while on the way to work 28 September 2008. When Kakar was killed she was reported to be either in her late 30s or early to mid 40s and had six children.

References

External links

* 10 minute clip from a documentary about Malalai Kakar i
real media
and
The Times: Lieutenant-Colonel Malalai Kakar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kakar, Malalai 1967 births 2008 deaths Afghan police officers Assassinated Afghan people Assassinated police officers Deaths by firearm in Afghanistan Female murder victims Incidents of violence against women Pashtun women People from Kandahar People killed by the Taliban People murdered in Afghanistan Unsolved murders in Afghanistan Violence against women in Afghanistan Women police officers Pashtun police officers

Gender issues in Afghan law enforcement

Death

See also

References

External links