The Rehabilitation Paradox: Street-Working Children in Afghanistan

Abstract

International humanitarian intervention in Afghanistan reflects a policy discourse of “rehabilitation,” which is very evident in relation to nongovernmental organization (NGO) projects for street-working children. Through analysing national and international policy, professional perceptions of the children, and field visits to see how policy relates to practice in NGO projects in Kabul, this article argues that the discourse is a “rehabilitation paradox.” The international goal is to return “minority” children, who are numerically the majority, to a “mainstream,” which is either mythical or a transient international elite. John Gray argues that Western utopianism explains the misguided nature of recent international military interventions, and this article extends that argument to rehabilitation. Without a concept of rehabilitation, “intervention” can be an act of wanton destruction. Policymakers need to be aware of how education can become complicit in the political arguments that are used to legitimise questionable interventions. It is proposed that, conceptually and practically, habilitation would be a more appropriate goal.