OTTAWA - The news of the forced abduction of our friend Clementina Cantoni on the night of May 16 in Kabul has shocked us and created new concerns about the security conditions in the Afghan capital.

We have known Clementina for nearly three years and saw her last month in Kabul on several occasions during our recent trip to Afghanistan.

Clementina, who works for CARE International, is a true humanitarian who has devoted several years of her life to helping the destitute and poor, especially widows and orphans. She is a care-giver who has given hope to thousands of Afghans and helped the most disadvantaged members of society earn a dignified living through vocational training and new skills learning. She also ran programs to promote small-scale entrepreneurship among women.

Clementina is a wonderful human being, a gentle soul, a committed friend and colleague, full of hope and passion for life. Despite other opportunities to work in other parts of the world, she was drawn to Afghanistan and preferred to serve there. During our last meeting in mid-April, she announced that she would take a break from her work in Afghanistan in June, after serving for over three years as an international aid worker there. Clementina turned 32 just days before this horrible incident occurred.

We ask the abductors to show compassion toward a friend of the Afghan people and immediately release her from captivity. Afghans are known for their hospitality to all. This act goes counter to all Afghan, Islamic and human norms. As the widows of Kabul said today during a demonstration, “this act brings shame upon our country.”

We are confident that the Afghan authorities, with the help of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), will use all means to assure the safe release of Clementina. It is our wish that the security conditions improve in Kabul and other parts of the country. It is a tall order that will require the collective effort of Afghans and our friends in the international community.

At this moment, our thoughts and prayers are with Clementina, and with her family and friends. We eagerly await the happy news of her safe release.