Afghanistan: Their lives on the line: Women human rights defenders under attack in Afghanistan

The issue of women’s subordinate legal, social and political position in Afghan society and the failure of the government to meet its obligations to ensure gender equality and address discriminatory social attitudes forms the basis of this report. Cultural, religious and social norms are at the root of the various kinds of abuse experienced by women human rights defenders. As such, challenging those entrenched patriarchal patterns is central to the struggle to ensure that women and girls in Afghanistan are able to exercise their rights in full. The case studies in this report illustrate the range of violence women human rights defenders are confronted with on a daily basis.