Corbella: Small but mighty non-profit does the heavy lifting to help Afghans while feds do little – Calgary Herald

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I've been typing this column through tears of frustration, anger and sadness at this bitter news

On Nov. 2, I asked Rachel Pulfer the executive director of Journalists for Human Rights, a small but mighty NGO in Toronto if there was any update regarding a young Afghan journalist Id been trying to help, who was hiding from the Taliban in Kabul. I had previously sent his information to her in an encrypted file.

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Pulfer responded almost immediately that there was one spot left on a plane JHR had chartered to fly out of Afghanistans chaotic capital city headed for Islamabad, Pakistan, in two days.

It was the first good news Fahim had heard since his country that hed worked so hard to improve was seized by the Taliban on Aug. 15, 2021. Two days later, Fahim was safe in Pakistan.

I had met Fahim in December 2003 when I travelled to Afghanistan to cover how our troops helped liberate the people of that country from the Talibans tyranny and oppression. Fahim was just 12 years old then, a student at the Children of War School in Paghman, and asked me to write my contact information in his notebook which he had just received from Samaritans Purse during an Operation Christmas Child gift box distribution. Our compassionate and professional Canadian Armed Forces troops handled the logistics of the distribution of the boxes filled with school supplies, toys and hygiene items.

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In a recent interview, Pulfer called the work JHR has done helping Afghan journalists and their families a minor miracle, considering all the challenges.

From their list of 500 Afghan journalists JHR has evacuated 388 people, of which 178 have landed in either Canada or another safe country for permanent settlement. Another 20 have Canadian visas and should arrive in Canada in the next several weeks.

Sadly, 112 are still in Afghanistan, being hidden and supported in safe houses paid for entirely by JHR. Fahim is one of the 144 Afghan journalists waiting for his paperwork to appear as he waits in Pakistan.

Since the air bridge went down in Afghanistan, JHR has done more to get Afghans out of Afghanistan than our federal government, a fact that Pulfer says is pretty shocking when you think about it, cuz were a non-profit held together with love and chocolate.

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The Taliban, added Pulfer, have used the opportunity of the Wests distraction with the buildup in Ukraine and then the breakout of war in Ukraine to crack down. In particular, theyve been cracking down on women activists travelling without male guardians. That has been a major issue.

The Taliban have indicated that they want to have the right to appoint a male guardian for a woman who has to travel. They have required that people provide them with a clear reason for why they wish to travel out of the country, and Taliban have also been going door-to-door removing women activists passports, women journalists passports and also arresting prominent women.

So, the West is focused on Ukraine and the Taliban is reverting to type, said Pulfer.

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The only support the federal government has provided to JHR and the veterans groups helping to get Afghans out of their country including Aman Lara (which means sheltered path in Pashto) is to support people who already have a coveted Canadian G-number.

The numbers I shared with you of the original list of 500 journalists and their family members, were helping them with private donations from Canadians and that money is running out, said Pulfer.

We have ongoing discussions with the Canadian government but nothing ever seems to happen, added Pulfer. I wish I could be more positive than that. But, you know, now theyre all focused on Ukraine.

Canada should help as many Ukrainians as possible. But surely the same should be done to help Afghans who acted as interpreters to our brave troops and for journalists whose lives are at risk for writing about Taliban atrocities and advocating for human rights.

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Tom Kmiec, the MP for Calgary Shepard, has been trying to help Fahim but found out this week that despite Fahim receiving an email from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada back in August, the government cant find any record of his application.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recommended that Fahim reapply for refuge through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ive been typing this column through tears of frustration, anger and sadness at this bitter news.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said back in August and September that Canada would clear the way to accept 40,000 Afghan refugees after he called an unnecessary election on the very day that Kabul fell to the Taliban. Other than doing paperwork in Ottawa, the federal government is doing nothing to help those who are languishing and waiting for some kind of word people like Fahim.

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I could talk to you for a long time about the difference between how those brave Afghans who patrolled with our troops are treated and how Ukrainians are treated, said Kmiec, a Polish-Canadian, who is in favour of helping as many Ukrainians move to Canada as possible but who also thinks Afghans should be helped.

And how the Kurds were treated even though they fought side by side with our allies in Northern Iraq against ISIS, its the same and the way we treated the Yazidis, same, said Kmiec.

A spokesperson for the federal immigration minister wrote: Canada remains firm in our commitment in resettling at least 40,000 vulnerable Afghan nationals and to date more than 9,400 are already beginning their new lives in Canada.

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IRCC utilizes a referral process with partners like the United Nations Refugee Agency to identify individuals who are eligible for our Government Assisted Refugee spaces. This system supports IRCC in validating applications received and ensures a rigorous screening process. A referral to IRCC by the UNHCR indicates that the UNHCR has assessed the case and concluded that resettlement is the best option.

It would have been nice if the automated reply Fahim received in August and which Ive seen would have told him that. Instead, he relied on the virtue signalling of our government and prime minister and the online forms for Afghans he filled in on the federal immigration website. Now, six months later, this government is telling Afghans to stop going through the government and to go through the UN? Its disgusting.

As for Pulfer, she says her organization only has enough money to keep those theyre trying to help supported for another month or two.

So, please, readers, donate what you can to Journalists for Human Rights. Help bring Fahim and others like him to safety.

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.

lcorbella@postmedia.com

Twitter: @LiciaCorbella

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Corbella: Small but mighty non-profit does the heavy lifting to help Afghans while feds do little - Calgary Herald