Afghanistan Women’s Network, a coordinating network of over 70 women organizations and groups, and more than 3000 individual members was established following the 1995 Beijing +5 conference, in Pakistan. Since then, the network has been actively involved in women empowerment, activism for women’s rights, addressing child protection at the local, national and international arenas. The member activists of the network, have been struggling hard for the realization of women’s rights as defined in national and international commitments of the Afghanistan government as well as within the Afghan society.

The advancement of women has always been central to our pursuit of national peace and reconstruction. From the Bonn Agreement to the Constitution, Afghanistan Compact and Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS), we have remained steadfast in our commitment to pursue gender equality and the empowerment of women in all spheres of life. As articulated in the I-ANDS, it is the goal of Government to eliminate discrimination against women, develop their human capital, and promote their leadership in order to guarantee their full and equal participation in all aspects of life.

This report is based on research carried out by UNAMA/OHCHR human rights officers in Kabul and in eight UNAMA regional offices between March 2010 and September 2011. UNAMA/OHCHR officers gathered detailed statistical and substantive information on implementation of the EVAW law by prosecutors, judges and police officers, and on the status of operations of provincial Commissions for Prevention of Violence against Women.

Research for this report was conducted by UNAMA Human Rights through its country-wide field presence. Interviews were undertaken with victims of violence, human rights defenders and women activists, representatives of non-governmental and women’s organizations, female parliamentarians and provincial council members, journalists, law enforcement officers, and representatives of public institutions such as the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the departments for women’s affairs (the provincial representatives of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs). Focus group discussions were also held with female teachers, health care professionals, and with religious and community leaders. In addition, UNAMA Human Rights also relied on the numerous researches, studies and reports that have addressed the various issues that limit the realisation of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Little is known about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) awareness among Afghan injecting drug users (IDUs), many of whom initiated injecting as refugees. We explored whether differences in HIV awareness and knowledge exist between Afghan IDUs who were refugees compared to those never having left Afghanistan.

Download this publication

Since the UNGASS Afghanistan Country Report 2010, an AIDS situation and response assessment was conducted as part of the Afghanistan National AIDS Strategic Framework (ANSF) II, 2011-2015. New sources of data on AIDS during this period included: the National Drug Use Survey 2010; the Assessment of Drug Use Levels and Associated High Risk Behaviors amongst the Prison Population of Sarpoza Prison, Kandahar; a Knowledge, Attitudes, Behavior and Practices survey carried out among most at-risk adolescents; a review of the Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) program in place since 2010