Rt Hon Justine Greening MP

Secretary of State

Department for International Development

22 Whitehall

London

SW1E 2EG

Date: 14^th January 2014

Ref: ML.N0046.AR.14.01.14.

Dear Justine,

I am writing to you regarding the concerning increase in the number of attacks against high-profile Afghan women in the latter part of 2013, and to ask you to improve support and protection to women’s human rights defenders (WHRDs) in Afghanistan.  The horrendous cases of two female parliamentarians (Fariba Kakar and Rooh Gul) who were attacked in separate cases highlights the need to better protect WHRDs.  Similarly, the remaining two most senior female police women in Helamand have both been murdered; and Sushmita Banerjee, a well-known female author who had written about life under the Taliban, was dragged out of her home and shot 15 times.  I am sure you are aware of these cases but I am sharing the details because they are powerful testimony to the perilous situation women who dare to speak out face in Afghanistan.

I support Amnesty International in their call for the UK government to become a champion for WHRDs in Afghanistan.  The UK government should develop a country specific plan for supporting human rights defenders in Afghanistan, including a gender analysis.  This is a key recommendation of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and would be especially useful in Afghanistan due to the huge challenges to human rights, and women’s rights in particular, in the country.  Such a plan would ensure UK staff in Afghanistan are aware of the risks faced by WHRDs and equip them with an understanding of practical measures to support their work.

The UK government has expertise in supporting WHRDs, developed through the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.  I urge the Government to apply this expertise further in Afghanistan and to make sure that supporting WHRDs is prioritised there by developing and implementing a country specific plan of support.

Yours sincerely,