The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) was pleased to attend a drop in session yesterday in support of Afghan women on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The event was organised by the APPG on Women, Peace and Security, in conjunction with ActionAid, Amnesty International, Women for Women International and the Gender Action for Peace and Security Network.

Women in Afghanistan have made fragile gains in their rights and freedoms since the fall of the Taliban government 13 years ago. Yet they face many challenges, especially as they continue to be the worst affected by insecurity and violence and perpetrators largely act with impunity. Attacks against women in public life also continue. In November, female Afghan MP and women’s rights advocate, Shukria Barakzai, who spoke at a PHRG conference in the past, was injured in a suicide bomb attack on her vehicle. Despite these threats, these women continue to put their lives at risk to raise their agenda.

This meeting came ahead of the London Conference on Afghanistan on 4 December, when representatives from a number of Governments met to review a series of commitments made in 2012 for Afghanistan’s development, known as the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF). Parliamentarians were encouraged to ensure that women were equally represented at the conference and that women’s rights issues were part of the core agenda.