Review of the dfat ending Violence Against Women (evaw) Program in Afghanistan
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- Background
- 2.2 DFAT EVAW Program
- UN Women Afghan Women’s Protection Program
- UNFPA Strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and other legal actors towards combatting VAW
- Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) Steps towards AWNs Institutional Development and Stability (STAIDS)
- Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)
1.2 LimitationsLimitations of this evaluation were largely related to data availability, limited access and timeframe, and security. Constraints regarding the data collection were largely related to the timeframe and geographic scope of the review. Most of the stakeholders interviewed for the evaluation were either directly funded by DFAT or benefited from the DFAT EVAW program. To mitigate this potential bias, the team also reached out to a number of EVAW sector stakeholders and other donors involved in other programming in the EVAW sector in Afghanistan. Additionally, the evaluation team conducted remote interviews via telephone with stakeholders at the regional and provincial levels, where participants would have less direct engagement with DFAT and central-level partners. The number of days for the in-country visit was limited to 10, which meant that only the high-interest stakeholders were able to be engaged by the review team, and limited the review team’s ability to engage with direct beneficiaries. Due to security concerns, the geographic scope of the review was limited to Kabul, and the review team was unable to visit sites and stakeholders outside of Kabul for the review. As such, much of the information regarding actual implementation, outputs and outcomes was provided to the review team through secondary information from partners and stakeholders, and the review team was unable to independently observe or verify this information. However, this limitation was addressed through the aforementioned telephone interviews at the regional and provincial levels, discussions with provincial staff of two EVAW program implementing partners (TAF and AWN), and through triangulation with secondary research and sources. The most recent reporting available from EVAW program implementing partners was from June 2015. However, DFAT requested that the IPs prepare a semi-annual report (covering July-December 2105) to provide updated information to inform this review. These reports were received by the review team in January prior to the in-country visit, but these reports were in-process documents that had not yet been reviewed or accepted by DFAT. The review is also limited in terms of attribution. Any potential changes or lack of changes related to the EVAW sector and the various stakeholders involved in the DFAT EVAW program are likely due to many factors, including interventions and programming from a wide range of development partners and organizations, as well as developments in the wider social, cultural, and security contexts in Afghanistan. Considering the scope of the midterm review in terms of the timeframe and access for primary data collection beyond central-level stakeholders, this limitation made it challenging to attribute results or changes directly to the DFAT EVAW program.
2.1 ContextAfghanistan has been widely acknowledged as among the most challenging places in the world to be a woman. Afghanistan ranked 152 out of 155 countries in the most recent Gender Inequality Index,2 and women continue to suffer oppression and abuse. VAW is one of the most oppressive forms of gender inequality, standing between women and equal participation in the social, economic, and political spheres.3 In 2014, the AIHRC said that violence against women "is one of the most serious human rights issues" facing the country, ranging from physical and sexual violence, "honor killings," and immolation.4 In a 2008 study undertaken by Global Rights based on a survey of 4,700 households, 87.2% of women reported to have experienced at least one form of physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage.5 Though women continue to face endemic levels of physical and psychological violence in Afghanistan, there has been some progress in addressing VAW in Afghanistan. The Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) Law was passed by Presidential decree in 2009, marking a landmark effort to prevent violence against women and punish perpetrators. It criminalizes acts of violence against women including rape, domestic violence, child marriage, forced marriage, baad, and other forms of VAW, totaling 22 specific forms, specifies punishments for those who commit such acts, and outlines the rights of victims of violence. A number of institutions have been established and supported to provide services and support to survivors of VAW, including Family Response Units (FRUs) within the Afghan National Police of the MoI, WPCs under the supervision of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), the Special EVAW Units of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and Family Protection Centers (FPCs) under the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), which are present to varying degrees throughout Afghanistan for the support and protection of survivors of VAW. Furthermore, the AIHRC has a number of offices throughout Afghanistan for women to register complaints and seek advice and legal support. 2.2 DFAT EVAW ProgramAustralia commenced a four-year program with funding of 22.7 million AUD in June 2013 to help reduce violence against women (VAW) in Afghanistan. The overall goal of the program is a sustained reduction in VAW in Afghanistan, with the aim of supporting national efforts to improve the provision of services for women affected by violence, to increase access to justice for survivors of violence and to improve the prevention of VAW in Afghanistan. The EVAW program covers 29 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. The three planned outcomes of the program are:
The program has been implemented in two phases. The first phase began implementation in June 2013, and included support to the UN Women Afghan Women’s Protection Program, The Asia Foundation’s Strengthened Access to Justice for Women Affected by Violence through Proven Culturally Sensitive Approaches program, and the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Strengthening the Capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and Other Legal Actors Towards Combatting VAW program. Further investment development, sector activity mapping, and a rapid management review of Phase one informed investment decisions for phase two, which commenced in the first half of 2014. In this phase, DFAT signed a Delegated Cooperation Agreement with the UK Department of International Development (DFID) to facilitate the geographic expansion of the TAF program activities from six to twelve provinces. Additionally, two new components were added to the program, including support to the Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) Steps Towards AWN’s Institutional Development and Stability program and core funding to the AIHRC. UN Women Afghan Women’s Protection ProgramSupport to the UN Women Afghan Women’s Protection Program totals 9.9 million AUD over four years from June 2013 to June 2017. DFAT funds UN Women to fund four Afghan NGOs to manage up to 10 women’s protection/family guidance centers (WPCs/FGCs) across nine provinces and deliver a package of protection, legal, health and rehabilitation services to women in those centers. This also includes support to MoWA to strengthen the functioning of their Women’s Protection Centre Directorate. DFAT has also contributed an additional 2 million AUD for looking at economic empowerment options and exit strategies in the next stage of UN Women programming. The Asia Foundation Strengthened Access to Justice for Women Affected by Violence through Proven Culturally Sensitive ApproachesThe Asia Foundation (TAF) Strengthened Access to Justice for Women Affected by Violence through Proven Culturally Sensitive Approaches was supported through 4 million AUD over three and a half years from June 2013 to September 2016. This program aims to strengthen access to justice for women in six provinces through training of formal and community-based justice sector actors on the EVAW Law, women’s rights within Islam and actions to prevent violence against women (VAW). The program also seeks to build the capacity of key formal and community justice mechanisms including Special EVAW Units in Attorney General’s Offices and police Family Response Units (FRUs); and awareness activities targeting men and women. This program also includes the operation of a VAW telephone hotline to provide consultation and referrals for men and women seeking information related to VAW. In the second phase of the program in cooperation with DFID, funding for the program increased from 5.49 million AUD to a total budget to 9.49 million AUD. UNFPA Strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and other legal actors towards combatting VAWSupport to UNFPA Strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and other legal actors towards combatting VAW totals 2.9 million AUD over four years from June 2013 to June 2017. The program seeks improved application of the EVAW Law, better reporting, registration and investigation of VAW incidents and establishment of a comprehensive referral mechanism for victims of violence, through training of police at national level and police and other key legal actors (judges/prosecutors/lawyers) in ten target provinces on EVAW legislation and Special Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigating VAW cases. Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) Steps towards AWNs Institutional Development and Stability (STAIDS)Support to Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) Steps towards AWNs Institutional Development and Stability (STAIDS) totals 3.3 million AUD over three years from June 2014 to June 2017. In June 2014, DFAT entered into a partnership arrangement to support the AWN and its member organisations to strengthen their national and international advocacy and leadership efforts on priority women’s EVAW, peace and security issues; pilot a Young Women’s Leadership Program to help build a cohort of new, young women leaders in Afghanistan; and expand and strengthen women’s networks across the country to increase the opportunities for Afghan women in both rural and urban areas to influence and contribute to decision-making. In addition to these three focus areas, DFAT provides AWN with core funding support to help strengthen its institutional capacity and improve its communication between provincial and national offices. Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)Support to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) totals 2 million AUD over three years from May 2015 to March 2018. This funding supports the AIHRC to deliver against the objectives outlined in its Strategic Plan for 1393-1397 (2014-18). The AIHRC is a prominent Afghan institution constitutionally mandated to monitor, promote and protect human rights in the country. It is a strong advocate for eliminating VAW, there is a dedicated Commissioner for Women’s Rights, and it has been recognised for its role in championing legal reforms that uphold women’s rights.
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