Afghanistan human rights defenders (HRDs), both within the country and in exile, face significant and myriad challenges. Inside Afghanistan, HRDs are not only restricted from continuing their human rights work, but also live under constant threats to their safety due to the Taliban’s intensified violence and atrocities. In particular, women human rights defenders (WHRDs) grapple with an additional level of the Taliban’s unprecedented misogynistic policies, targeting them with systematic discrimination and persecution, amounting to gender apartheid. Many HRDs have been forced into hiding or have managed to flee the country for their survival. Those who sought refuge in transit countries, mainly Iran and Pakistan, face innumerable risks such as deportation, harassment, and economic constraints to their livelihood. Meanwhile, HRDs settled primarily in western countries with comparatively greater security face their own set of difficulties, including concerns about their overall well-being and the lack of a long-term support system to sustain their human rights work while in exile.

Against this backdrop, this report explains the circumstances of Afghanistan’s HRDs both inside and outside Afghanistan. It will explore the problems they face, their needs, and provide workable recommendations to various stakeholders who are rightly positioned to fulfill those needs.

Read the report here

This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.