Findings of the Midterm Review 3.1 Effectiveness

Progress Toward Planned Outcomes

Outcome 1: Women affected by violence have increased access to better services in target areas

Protection and Services for Survivors of VAW

The direct service provision through WPCs and FGCs under the UN Women project have been very effective, with UN Women reporting 3,678 VAW survivors having received services from the WPCs and FGCs as of December 2015, though achieving the target of 6,300 by the end of the program may be less feasible considering that reduced number of facilities covered under DFAT support. This monitoring data would suggest that women and girls are accessing services through the WPCs and FGCs, though at the midterm stage based on the data available it is not yet clear how many are receiving which types of services. Residents of the WPCs visited for this review described receiving key services and facilities including shared living facilities, food, medicine and healthcare, counseling, childcare, educational opportunities, religious facilities, and mediation and legal aid.

In terms of service provision, the existence of the facilities and their protection component has been generally successful, and feedback from key stakeholders in the review would suggest that healthcare and legal aid services provided through the WPCs and FGCs are generally effective, though external challenges with the formal justice sector persist. WPC residents described learning about their rights and gaining self-confidence and self-efficacy through the support they received from the WPC. The mediation services provided by WPCs and FGCs also appear to be effective, with reporting that of the 3,678 cases received, over 2,500 have been reintegrated with their families. At present, clients reintegrated with their families are meant to receive follow-up on their status for at least six months, though further efforts are needed to ensure the effectiveness of follow-up mechanisms.

Though the review team was unable to visit an FGC or interview FGC staff within the geographic scope and timeframe of the in-country visit, UN Women and various EVAW sector stakeholders noted the promise of the model to date in that it is less sensitive and appears to constitute an accessible entry point for survivors to access support. They are open 24 hours, and as such are able to provide a safe space for survivors awaiting intake to a WPC and providing a critical alternative to survivors being held at police stations or other facilities that may be less trauma-sensitive. Men are allowed in the FGCs, which provides a service point for men to receive advice and support as well as providing a space for mediation and facilitating reintegration.

Service gaps for VAW survivors were noted in a few key areas, regardless of the entry point for services. The limited availability and effectiveness of psychosocial support for survivors of VAW was noted by all relevant local partner, development partner, and government stakeholders in the review. Though WPCs and some public health facilities have trained counseling staff available, the training and support they receive is generally limited. Some organizations are providing training to WPC staff and public health sector personnel, but considerably further need was noted in this area. Local partners operating WPCs particularly noted the challenges of addressing severe cases, where the counselors in the WPCs do not have the capacity to deal with such cases and there is an absence of effective and viable options for referring such clients for further support. This service gap results in situation where the survivor herself is at considerable risk, while also contributing to an environment within the WPC or FGC that can be physically and/or emotionally unsafe for other survivors. It was also noted that psychosocial support and emotional care for staff is a current gap, where staff are at high risk of burnout and vicarious traumatization and currently do not have adequate access to services or support to mitigate these risks.

Another key gap was noted regarding support in collecting forensic evidence. The standard operating procedures for healthcare sector response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) instruct healthcare providers that if a patient has acknowledged or disclosed VAW, they should inquire as to whether they would like evidence of abuse to be collected.⁷ However, as explained by the WPCs and confirmed by other stakeholders, the WPCs and FGCs are unable to send survivors of VAW for collection of forensic evidence in a timely manner, as they do not have the facilities or capacity to collect such evidence in their facilities, and in practice they have experienced that forensic departments will only collect evidence if the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sends a letter requesting them to do so. In some cases, WPC staff explained that evidence collection can be delayed by up to two weeks, constituting a key service delivery gap which can result in a lack of evidence for survivors seeking protection and justice from the police, prosecutors and courts.

The third key area in which a service gap was noted was in terms of transition and exit strategies and facilitating opportunities for women’s economic empowerment. Though the residents of WPCs that were met for this review generally expressed satisfaction with the services and support they were receiving there, almost all expressed a desire to transition out of the WPC and either reintegrate with their families and communities or find a viable alternative to live a normal life outside of the shelter. Some residents described having lived in the shelter for over ten years. Though stakeholders estimated that round 60-70% of survivors who go to WPCs are reintegrated with their family or community, there are limited options for women who are unable to reintegrate. There are few transitional facilities, with the exception of the halfway house model, which is not a completely closed facility and allows residents to to seek employment or education opportunities outside of the facility.

Economic empowerment is critical to the prevention of VAW. VAW can often have a component of economic abuse, and financial independence is critical in order for survivors to rebuild their life safely and create opportunities to escape exploitative relationships.⁸ In addition to increasing vulnerability to VAW, economic dependence and poverty can prevent women from seeking protection and recourse when they do experience VAW.⁹ EVAW sector stakeholders noted that this is a current gap in the services and support provided to survivors of VAW, with much of the current opportunities available to women in WPCs being catered to illiterate and uneducated women and a focus on handicrafts and tailoring. However, survivors of VAW are diverse, and there are few opportunities for educated women. This has been recognized as a sector-wide challenge, with a number of actors looking for viable economic empowerment and transition options for survivors of VAW.¹⁰

In a context of widespread unemployment and a weak economy, viable employment and livelihoods security are a challenge for all Afghans, and with women’s labor force participation at approximately 16%,¹¹ securing options and opportunities for survivors is a considerable challenge. In this review, a promising idea was advanced by a local partner managing a WPC, in which they plan to establish a women’s catering business where survivors can work in confidence without having to risk exposing their whereabouts in public employment, which would facilitate both an income generating opportunity for residents as well as a means of generating income to support the self-sufficiency of the WPC. UN Women is currently in the process of addressing options for exit strategies and economic empowerment activities for shelter residents based on an assessment undertaken in 2015. DFAT has contributed an additional 2 million AUD for looking at economic empowerment options and exit strategies.

Coordination, Capacity, and Quality of Protection Services

However, at the midterm stage, it is not possible to ascertain an assessment in terms of quality. However, in consultations with shelter residents, the majority expressed satisfaction with the services provided through the WPCs, Department of Women’s Affairs (DoWAs), and police. There were some exceptions noted in individual stories from shelter residents, indicating that though there has been progress in this regard, further efforts are needed and service provision is not uniform across all geographic areas and institutions in Afghanistan.

In terms of service quality, a wide range of institutions have received support through the DFAT EVAW program, including the MoI and Afghan National Police (ANP), justice actors, MoWA, WPCs, FGCs, the AIHRC, civil society, and informal justice actors. Generally, the midterm review found ample anecdotal evidence that the activities undertaken and outputs achieved have contributed to increased effectiveness in service provision among these various EVAW actors, though further improvements are still needed. Evidence from the review suggests progress in the standardization of coordination between the police and justice sectors and WPCs. Though the public health sector is not covered through this program, the review has found that these activities are being effectively supported through other programs and funding.

The review noted that local partner capacities need further development in a number of areas, which local partners also noted, especially case management and referral procedures, provision of psychosocial support, vocational training, and support for WPC staff in terms of emotional and physical safety. Less activities have been reported in terms of building the capacity of civil society organization (CSO) partners operating WPCs, who mostly reported having received training and capacity building through support from IDLO, Ipso, and Danner. UN Women had previously received recommendations to include capacity building components in grants to civil society partners, and explained that they have made previous attempts to address this gap but were unable to find a strong partner to conduct trainings. This review concludes that renewed focus on this aspect of support is a critical factor underpinning the effectiveness of these activities in contributing to the outcome of ensuring quality services for survivors of VAW.

VAW Hotline

There is currently no mechanism for following up on referrals made through the VAW hotline, though the partner organization described having initiated a pilot project for following up on cases via telephone with the survivor and the institution to which she was referred. While hotline operators can provide advice and support and inform the survivor of their options, the survivor is still on their own in terms of actually processing the steps required. Furthermore, operators are often unable to call the survivor back or follow up on the status of their situation as receiving phone calls from strangers can often put survivors at considerable risk. It is also important to consider the assumptions underlying the hotline, in a context where a 2013 survey of women’s access to mobile technology found that about 48% of Afghan women own a cell phone, and 32% have access to a shared phone. Of the remaining 20%, half reported that they don’t have a mobile phone because of lack of permission from their family.¹³ Though speculative, it would follow that women who are experiencing abuse and have restrictions on their mobility would be likely to fall into the latter categories with limited independent access to phones, and as such it is uncertain whether those needing support services the most would be able to access them through a platform that requires access to mobile technology.

Evidence-Based Learning to Improve Service Provision

The second intermediate outcome under this component is that evidence-based learning is used to improve and/or expand service provision for women affected by violence. At the midterm stage, there has been less progress in this regard, though evaluation of activities and their impact at the endline stage of the program will likely contribute to this. Under UN Women support to WPCs and MoWA, two advisors for protection and legal aid were hired and embedded in the Women’s Protection Directorate in Kabul through the project, and a monitoring system was developed for the WPCs in collaboration with civil society partners and the third party monitoring institutions selected for the project. The system consists of three questionnaires for observation of facilities and services, WPC staff, and interviewing clients. MoWA is collecting this data and collating reports. Support to MoWA for monitoring the shelters appears to have been effective, with WPCs reporting regular monitoring visits from DoWA, and UN Women reporting that MoWA is collecting this data and collating reports. However, due to the limited availability of reporting and data, the review team was unable to utilize this reporting to make an assessment of the extent to which WPCs are in compliance with WPC regulations.

Outcome 2: Women affected by violence have increased access to justice in target provinces, through both formal and community-based justice mechanisms

Formal justice sector

The first intermediate outcome under this outcome is that justice sector actors in target agencies and provinces better respond to VAW. As the program has limited direct support to formal justice sector actors, the support to the police sector under UNFPA is considered to be a component of activities under this outcome. UNFPA “Strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and other legal actors towards combating violence against women and girls” project activities were determined based on a 2011 assessment and Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) survey among police actors and based on requests received from MoI. Under UNFPA programming, the SOPs for police sector¹⁴ handling of GBV cases and referral were developed and approved by MoI in 2014, and trainings on the SOPs began in 2015. Mentors have been hired through police headquarters with support from UNFPA, and provide mentoring and follow-up on cases and trainings at the provincial level. The training manual “Police Taking Action on Violence Against Women” was developed prior to the program and approved by MoI, and capacity building trainings have been conducted with justice sector actors and police officials from FRUs, CID, and Gender and Human Rights Departments of MoI.

In the police sector, there is clear demonstration of progress towards achieving outcome two. As of December 2015, over 2,900 police staff, judges and prosecutors, MoWA staff, and NGOs have received training on improved understanding and response to VAW, and training for judges and prosecutors, government and nongovernment staff on response to GBV is planned for 2016. Initial trainings on the SOPs were initiated in 2015 and 375 police staff have been trained, with printing of the SOP, intake forms and guidelines planned for 2016. The effectiveness of these activities is furthermore demonstrated through the institutionalization of the training materials by the MoI, where the police training manual on GBV developed by UNFPA has been incorporated into MoI trainings as well as the Police Academy curriculum, whereby the reach of these activities has considerably extended beyond activities directly funded under the DFAT EVAW program. Additionally, trainers under these activities are from MoI, having received a Training of Trainers (ToT) from UNFPA and further ToTs in 2014 in Kabul, Herat, and Balkh from the local partner.

Evidence suggests that the standardization of processing GBV cases in the police sector has contributed to increased access to justice, where anecdotal evidence and monitoring data indicates that cases are being more commonly registered and referred instead of being sent back to the community or family, as stakeholders noted was previously common practice. Case registration by police has been steadily increasing according to UNFPA reporting, with 478 cases registered by trained police in 2014, 499 from January to June 2015, and 814 from July to December 2015. At the midterm stage based on the data available for the review, it is not possible to quantitatively assess improved understanding on VAW. According to UNFPA’s local partner, MoI also evaluated the trainings, and assessed that there has been 5-6% increment increase in police knowledge according to their survey at the midterm of 2015. The effectiveness of these activities is furthermore evidenced by the request from MoI in 2014 to expand the training into 17 provinces, after which DFAT increased their support from covering eight to ten provinces, and the Government of Japan provided funding to facilitate expansion into the remaining seven provinces. DFAT is currently supporting the program in a total of 13 provinces, with the addition of three new provinces in phase two of the DFAT EVAW program upon request from MoI.

According to stakeholders, the effectiveness of the trainings provided is largely attributable to the practical nature of their contents, which is focused only on awareness raising regarding the law, but also on the terms of reference for police and their responsibilities regarding VAW, and on practical procedures and clarifying referral procedures, which makes it easier for law enforcement to do their job. Additionally, UNFPA has utilized innovative techniques to mitigate issues of illiteracy, including illustrated and pictorial resources for police. Though the mentors supported through the UNFPA project follow up on trainings, evaluate cases, and conduct interviews with survivors, this data was unavailable for the midterm review and as such a definitive assessment of the effectiveness in terms of outputs translating into the intermediate outcome of improved response to VAW could not be fully formulated. According to the local partner, mentors have noted that reporting has increased and referral systems have improved, where police are increasingly following cases and they are referred to MoI, MoWA, according to SOPs and regulations regarding where cases should be referred.

Knowledge management in terms of monitoring systems and data collection and recording of data by police sector actors was acknowledged as a gap in this area. Developing data collection forms for documentation and reporting on GBV has not yet been completed, and is in plans for 2016, after which UNFPA further plans to support MoI in developing a database, though this component is not currently covered under the DFAT EVAW program.

The formal justice sector is generally an indirect target group under many of the activities in this program, with limited direct engagement through participation in larger training programs and support to the AGO Special EVAW Units from TAF. In consultations with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), though MoJ staff along with Afghanistan Independent Bar Association (AIBA) and AGO staff had participated in trainings provided through UNFPA programming, the effectiveness was felt to have been limited. Stakeholders indicated that the trainings were not adequately coordinated with the needs and priorities of MoJ, and that a post-training evaluation was not provided to MoJ to allow them to further build on the training. In terms of support to provincial AGO Special EVAW Units, according to reporting Management Experts have been hired in 12 provinces and have provided training to 10 AGO staff in each province. In support to the formal justice sector, two Master Trainers were recruited and trained in the 12 target provinces, and have provided trainings to 480 government employees to date, including police, prosecutors, and judges.

Though AGO stakeholders interviewed at the provincial level for the review had limited information regarding the program, at the central level AGO stakeholders noted the effectiveness of the support provided, particularly in that the trainings involved not only prosecutors but also a wider range of actors including judges, police, defense lawyers, and community leaders and facilitated an opportunity for these various actors to receive training together and share learning. According to the AGO, preliminary information on the support activities indicates that the trainings are having a positive result. The relevance and necessity of the materials covered in the trainings was noted, and it was advanced that with the trainings there was an increase in judiciary staff following the code of conduct, improvements in preparing documentation and case files, proper documentation and representation to the courts, and techniques for interviewing victims.

Informal Justice Sector

Outputs to date suggest progress in terms of increasing access to justice through the informal justice sector, primarily through TAF programming and community level approaches.

Overwhelmingly, anecdotal feedback from stakeholders suggests that the TAF approach to EVAW through Islamic perspectives supported by the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs (MoHRA) and religious leaders has been very effective, and is a more effective approach at the local level.

Information provided for this review suggests activities have created an environment at the community level that has made informal justice actors more supportive of women in cases regarding VAW. However, monitoring data would suggest that the effectiveness of these bodies in actually addressing or referring cases or documenting cases could be further strengthened, with 640 cases referred from 96 communities—averaging to approximately six cases per community to date. Information provided by partners and M&E staff also suggested that cases brought to communities are often resolved informally through mediation or direct intervention with the family, with examples such as convincing families to allow girls to attend school, and such cases that are not referred are not reflected in the monitoring data. As such, the number of cases referred could also be indicative of the effectiveness of the bodies in mediation, which should be further assessed in the endline evaluation of the project regarding the effectiveness of community approaches.

The second intermediate outcome is that women in target provinces are more confident to engage with formal and community-based justice mechanisms. Many of the activities under the DFAT EVAW project contribute directly or indirectly to this intermediate outcome; the efforts to facilitate more VAW-responsive services through both formal and informal justice actors should contribute to a secondary increase in women’s confidence to engage with such mechanisms, and the advocacy activities outlined under outcome three furthermore serve to increase women’s confidence through familiarizing them with the responsibilities of various institutions and awareness of their rights. Supporting the increased effectiveness of formal and informal justice institutions can help to facilitate women’s increased confidence to engage with them, and the legal support provided to women in WPCs provides further contributions in this regard. In terms of justice accountability, women’s awareness of available mechanisms and potentially increased feelings of safety reporting cases is evidenced through the increase in case registration by police, though it is unclear at this stage to what extent this represents an increase in women approaching the police or an increase in actual registration of cases, or both. However, as the scope of this review only had limited interaction with VAW survivors, it is difficult to assess knowledge of available mechanisms at this stage. Several stakeholders noted that though this has improved to some extent, awareness among women of their rights remains one of the key challenges in the EVAW sector.

Several of WPC residents interviewed for this review described having been introduced to the WPC through the police, and some via other judicial actors. Generally, survivors interviewed who had reached to the police for help and assistance expressed general satisfaction with the support they received. However, several others also explained that they would still be hesitant to turn to the police due to a lack of trust and a lack of confidence that they would receive support. Confidence in engaging with the formal and informal justice sectors are underpinned by the capacity and will of these institutions to address cases in a fair, transparent manner with positive outcomes for women. At the present stage, the only indicators available to assess progress towards this intermediate outcome are the number of cases registered and processed by formal and informal actors, and it is not possible to determine whether these have positive outcomes for women.

Outcome 3: Improved violence prevention practices, including more effective community awareness and advocacy and engagement of women in peace processes.

Building Community Awareness

The first intermediate outcome under this component is that men and women in target communities are more aware of EVAW Law and response services, and women’s rights in Islam. In addition to the community members who engage in the community level activities under the TAF project, the project has also trained over 600 male and 800 females in 12 provinces. Additionally, another local partner implemented four regional conferences on Women’s Rights and the EVAW Law in 2015, which had 1,200 attendees.

Under the UNFPA project, activities have been undertaken to match the capacity building of the police and justice sectors with the mobilization of communities to build their awareness and utilization of such services. These activities include radio dramas and video animations produced in Dari and Pashto. The radio dramas and animations have been produced, and according to reporting their dissemination and broadcasting is planned for 2016, which will also likely contribute to the intermediate outcome of increasing women’s confidence to engage with formal justice sector services under outcome two. FGCs also do community outreach, sending trainers to communities to organize sessions and raise awareness on resources available, as well as the EVAW Law and women’s rights. However, data available at the midterm stage did not allow for an assessment of the effectiveness of these activities.

AWN is further undertaking awareness raising activities through provincial advocacy networks. The project has allowed AWN to expand their regional presence with four zonal offices and staff supported under DFAT, and three supported through funding from DFID. Under the women’s political participation and leadership component, four resource centers were established—one in each zonal office, and advocacy coalitions have been established in all four zones. Monthly networking meetings are also held with participation of organizations working on women’s issues at the provincial level. Regional AWN focal points discussed communicating through media and involvement in radio and television interviews and roundtable discussions. AWN focal points also discussed conducting outreach to community shuras and leaders and schools and teachers and distributing AWN materials at the local level.

AIHRC activities are furthermore contributing to awareness-raising through training and awareness raising campaigns related to VAW. According to the AIHRC, they have also conducted workshops and seminars on women’s rights and VAW with government officials, community leaders, justice actors, and police, and have broadcast radio and television programming on VAW. However, at the midterm stage, limited information is available regarding the actual reach and impact of these activities. According to AIHRC reporting, AIHRC activities are regularly covered through the media, and AIHRC has produced a number of publications raising awareness on VAW issues, including annual reporting on EVAW, research on forced gynecological examinations, and rape and honor killings in the period covered by the DFAT EVAW program. These publications were found to be widely covered in national and international media and to be serving as an important resource for advocacy purposes.

Output targets regarding awareness raising suggest progress towards outcome three, with targets achieved in a number of areas, primarily through TAF community-focused programming. Feedback from key stakeholders suggests that these activities have been effective in increasing knowledge on VAW and particularly progressive interpretations of women’s rights in Islam. The program was noted as being particularly effective through addressing misunderstandings regarding Islam and approaches to addressing VAW by civil society organizations. That the booklets have been approved by MoHRA and respected religious scholars was discussed as being particularly useful and facilitating acceptance by religious leaders and communities.

Though it was noted that it is important to work with the EVAW Law and relevant conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), at the community level these modalities are less accessible and often viewed as immaterial. Therefore, the TAF project has taken the approach of arriving at the EVAW Law and legal and and rights-based frameworks as end points utilizing Islamic perspectives as a vehicle, rather than attempting to start from a rights-based approach that is often met with skepticism and pushback at the community level. In experience to date with the booklets utilized by TAF, as the content and core messages were developed from a bottom-up approach, it is difficult for people to reject the content, and people do not want to reject the content. TAF has received requests from MoHRA in all 12 target provinces for more booklets and to expand trainings.

Local-Level Advocacy and Coordination

The AWN networking meetings demonstrate effectiveness in extending the AWN model of coordination among CSOs engaging on women’s issues at the national level to the local level, providing a platform for such organizations to meet and coordinate at the provincial level on local issues facing women. The networking meetings also appear to provide an important forum for organizations engaging on women’s issues to interface with government actors. However, at present reporting is largely limited to the meetings being held, with limited information upon which to assess how and the extent to which they are contributing to the outcome and goals of the project. Similarly, the effectiveness of the advocacy coalitions was less apparent, with reporting indicating several meetings being held with various stakeholders, but with little evidence or information on tangible outcomes of such meetings beyond general rhetorical commitments to women. The effectiveness of the resource centers appears to be considerably limited, with each of the four zonal resource centers logging fewer than 15 users per month on average in the most recent reporting—approximately one every other day.

The Peace Process and Supporting Young Leaders

The second intermediate outcome is that strengthened advocacy efforts by target organisations influence change in state and community responses to VAW and inclusion of women in peace processes. Outputs to date demonstrate limited progress in this regard. Though reporting indicates effective engagement with Provincial Peace Committees (PPCs) through AWN advocacy coalitions, there are limited outputs or outcomes demonstrated. AWN has conducted advocacy with PPCs and has helped to facilitate two observer positions for women on PPCs and one female PPC member in Herat. However, overall, women’s participation in the peace process remains symbolic, without meaningful outcomes in terms of women’s representation in peace decisions at the micro and macro levels. This is complicated by a transitioning peace process infrastructure, with the future of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP) and the High Peace Council (HPC) uncertain at present. Due to delays in the parliamentary election, planned AWN activities regarding increasing women’s political participating have been delayed pending the elections.

The Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) implemented by AWN is also related to this outcome, with the original aim of increasing the representation of qualified young women in governance and political processes. The YWLP appears to have been effective in facilitating opportunities for young women to support one another and build their confidence and self-esteem through longer-term trainings and more intensive support than what previously existed through other training opportunities available to young women. The financial support provided through the program allowed participants to attend the program, while also helping to ensure the support of their families.

However, the program could be more effective through a more refined focus and direction, as consultations with participants suggested a lack of vision among participants for what kind of young leaders they would be. Of the young women interviewed for this review, few expressed any interest in working in politics or government, with many being placed in internships at member AWN NGOs and expressing interest in starting an NGO or a business, though with limited ideas as to what kind of NGO or business they would like to start. As such, while the program appears to be effective in building participants’ confidence and empowering young women with considerable potential to become future leaders, it is generally concluded that it may be less effective in terms of its original aim of increasing the representation of qualified young women in governance and political processes and contributing towards the overall outcomes and goal of the DFAT EVAW program. However, it is important to note that the program could see more results in the long-term, where these young women can further develop and make contributions to the future leadership of Afghanistan.

(See Annex B: Performance Assessment Framework)

Theory of Change

Intervention Logic

The theory of change (ToC) for the DFAT EVAW program has the overall goal of 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, inline with the above reviewed outcomes. The overall logic of the program is that if the incidence of women who experience violence is reduced and the options and ability for women to free themselves from violent relationships increase, ultimately this will improve the possibilities for women to participate in and benefit from broader social, economic and development opportunities.

The ToC also articulates intervention logic under each specific outcome. Under outcome one, the ToC posits that if survivors of violence are able to access quality services, they will be motivated to seek support when violence occurs, which will increase the options available to survivors of VAW and empower them to live free of violence. The intervention logic under outcome one is generally supported by the information collected in the midterm review, with several stakeholders reporting that activities have supported an increase in women seeking services. However, a gap in the logic that existence of quality services will lead to their utilization was noted in the review, where social consequences and pervasive cultural barriers continue to prevent women from accessing services even when they are aware that such services exist. As such, increasing the quality of services must be coupled with the change in social norms and attitudes that are targeted through the advocacy and awareness raising components of the program in order to facilitate an actual increase in service utilization.

Under outcome two, the ToC posits that if the police and justice stakeholders provide effective legal protection to survivors and effectively prosecute and hold offenders accountable, they will reduce shame among survivors and increase survivors’ confidence to engage with the justice sector, ultimately deterring future offenders and encouraging survivors to report violence. Under outcome two, progress to date as well as consultations with stakeholders would similarly support the logic that holding perpetrators accountable for violence can help deter future offenders. This was particularly discussed in terms of raising awareness in mediation interventions and raising awareness among perpetrators regarding potential legal consequences of their actions.

However, the consultations also found that prosecution can have unintended negative consequences for survivors of VAW, and that sometimes punishments such as prison sentences can actually do more harm through survivors being left with no income provider, or leading to divorce in a context where divorced women have limited livelihoods options and social safety nets. The EVAW Law currently only stipulates duration of imprisonment or in severe cases the death penalty for specific crimes, with one provision for monetary penalties in the requirement of paying an amount equivalent to mahr for sexual assault.¹⁵ Article 41 does specify that perpetrators may be convicted to compensation, this is in addition to the prescribed punishments, and there is limited information as to what extent this is actually applied. The lack of alternative punishments such as monetary penalties or referral of perpetrators to access counseling or rehabilitation services furthermore constitutes a potential shortcoming in terms of deterrence.

Under outcome three, the ToC suggests that if community members engage in activities that enable them to reflect upon and reevaluate gender inequality and norms that condone VAW, then gradually a critical mass of community members who reject such norms will be mobilized and ultimately the prevalence of VAW will decrease and support from women’s rights and gender equality will be strengthened. Evidence from the midterm review and progress to date suggests that the intervention logic is robust. The multiple reinforcing activities include working at community-level, directly engaging men and women, combining advocacy and outreach with service provision, and working through media and public messaging. Messaging includes a combined approach working through culturally appropriate and Islamic perspective coupled with awareness raising on legal frameworks and consequences appears to be contributing to changes in attitudes and practice among both formal and informal stakeholders as well as wider communities.

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

The midterm review observed that the activities conducted under the DFAT EVAW program constitute a considered and holistic approach to preventing and facilitating access to response services regarding VAW. Awareness raising activities are being conducted both directly and indirectly by all partners. TAF activities primarily focused at the local level have demonstrated improved awareness among informal justice actor as well as community members. Furthermore, these activities have begun to establish a pathway from the community level towards institutions that can provide formal response services in institutions covered by various other DFAT EVAW IPs. At this level, stakeholders have been holistically engaged, with multiple entry points covered.

As such, strengthening the capacity of various institutions serves as a means of contributing to collective impact. For example, strengthening police sector capacities contributes to ease of referral both to and from WCPs, as well as facilitating access to justice sector actors such as the AGO Special EVAW Units, defense lawyers, and legal aid. Conversely, strengthened capacity of WPCs and supporting local AIHRC offices helps to facilitate improved appropriate referrals and support in accessing police, health, and legal services. What’s more, increasing the capacity of police and improving referral systems and coordination among EVAW actors can contribute to prevention through raising awareness and promoting accountability through proper processing of cases. Additionally, strengthening of Afghan civil society further complements these activities through supporting a mechanism that can advocate for policy change and hold the government accountable for commitments to eliminating violence against women.

The review noted a need for consistent use of language across programming, and to ensure that terminology utilized is most appropriate for promoting the dignity of participants throughout the resources and materials produced by partners. For example, the terms “survivor” and “victim” of VAW are utilized in programming, and similarly those who are targeted through programs are sometimes called “participants,” “clients,” or “beneficiaries” by different implementing partners. While the term “victim” serves to highlight the injustice of VAW, it can also be seen as implying helplessness and a lack of agency or reinforcing concepts such as shame and weakness; the term “survivor” can imply strength and agency as well as individual capacity. Similarly, the term “beneficiary” can overlook that often those who are accessing programs are actually service users, and consumers of products and services, whereas “participants,” consumers,” or “clients” can serve to further highlight the role of the participant in the program and the need to involve them centrally in the process. Clarifying key concepts and agreeing on terminology and language can be an important and productive means of promoting a common agenda and ensuring that consistent messaging is applied throughout program activities among the different partners in a manner that is targeted and considered.

Policy Engagement

DFAT Policy Engagement

Policy engagement is an area that the review found would benefit from more targeted focus as the program proceeds. At present, policy engagement with the government is largely undertaken by the implementing partners, with no direct initiatives between DFAT and the government of Afghanistan. At present, DFAT described their approach as one of supporting their implementing partners and Afghan civil society in engaging on policy initiatives, where direct pressure on the government could potentially skew progress over the long-term. Though there is anecdotal evidence of change in knowledge, attitudes and practice through the program, there were fewer cases of policy initiatives and uptake and outcomes in policy through the program. There have been some cases of effective policy engagement such as the SOPs adopted by MoI and incorporation of the police training manual into MoI trainings and Police Academy curriculum. Additionally, there has been technical support in the establishment of monitoring systems, particularly MoWA oversight to WPCs.

Policy Advocacy

AWN is an active member of civil society in terms of women’s issues and particularly VAW. The structure and membership of AWN has been effective in terms of having an umbrella organization for civil society organizations working on women’s and VAW issues. Additionally, AWN’s expansion to the regional level and its diverse membership has developed a mechanism for collecting and incorporating provincial-level perspectives into national and international advocacy work and dialogues, though this was also previously a component of AWN’s advocacy networks through perspectives contributed from member organizations working at the provincial level. Under the social and legal participation component of activities, AWN has conducted high-level advocacy on issues including Farkhunda’s case,¹⁶ advocacy for the nomination of women in the new administration, keeping the EVAW Law separate from the Penal Code, raising the quota for women’s political participation at the district level, and working with the Criminal Law Reform Working Group (CLRWG). AWN has also produced one CEDAW shadow report under this project.

In terms of advocacy activities, at present the scope of advocacy work undertaken by AWN is generally focused on higher levels of the government and on high-profile issues. Though the issues focused on are important, they are also often addressed by a wide range of organizations and Afghan civil society actors. At present it is difficult to discern to what extent policy outcomes are or are not attributable to AWN advocacy activities considering that the policies they engage on are generally addressed by a wide range of actors.

Similar to advocacy activities at the local level, at the national level AWN advocacy efforts report many activities, but with limited demonstration of outcomes. There are several activities reported in the form of meetings, official letters, and petitions on high profile issues, but few examples of where these activities have translated into policy outcomes or actionable commitments from the target audience. Reporting includes various rhetorical commitments through advocacy efforts, but with no follow-up on whether these actually materialized or whether AWN advocacy efforts continued to hold officials accountable to these commitments.

The review concludes that these activities may be more effective if AWN utilized the resources, capacities, and networks at their disposal to strategically advocate on more targeted issues. Additionally, the effectiveness of advocacy efforts and particularly the wide range of resources that AWN has developed through this and other support could be enhanced through improvements to the website, which currently only contains a fraction of what has been produced by AWN, with the CEDAW shadow report, advocacy toolkit, and other materials developed under DFAT support currently unavailable outside of the physical resource center at the AWN office, which has a limited audience.

Coverage, Beneficiaries, and Do No Harm

Coverage and Beneficiaries

A holistic range of direct and indirect beneficiaries have been reached through the DFAT EVAW program, including: survivors of VAW, their families and communities; and government and non-government EVAW actors and institutions. In terms of coverage, geographically the project has had considerable reach, though several government stakeholders noted that there are several provinces that receive considerably less support through these and other programs related to EVAW. The TAF program has focused on several provinces that tend to receive less direct programming, while other partners have taken a more regional approach. Additionally, in several programs, DFAT is only supporting some provinces covered by project activities, where others are supported by other donors, so coverage under these programs in consideration of other donor support was generally found to be quite comprehensive. However, stakeholders nearly universally noted a need to expand such programming to remote districts, though the challenge of access and insecurity was noted as a barrier in this regard.

Overall, evidence from the midterm review suggests that the activities are contributing towards positive outcomes for direct and indirect beneficiaries. Risk management is factored into the program, with a risk register included in all grant agreements with implementing partners, who are required to update it with their semi-annual reporting. DFAT requires a risk register at the program level, which is developed by program staff in Canberra based on the risk registers submitted by the implementing partners, which subsequently inform a common register monitored by DFAT. The program was designed to be low profile with some specific exemptions such as no DFAT branding and ensuring the program is locally driven in terms of staff.

Do No Harm

The planning of activities was largely found to be evidence-based, and do no harm principles were considered in project planning, though few implementing partners and local partners reported having actual policies in place to ensure the principles of do no harm were upheld throughout the implementation of their projects. Some unintended negative outcomes and areas in which do no harm principles are not fully realized were noted. In terms of women seeking protection services, the lack of effective exit strategies for difficult cases has led to a number of long-term shelter residents. Additionally, the lack of adequate psychosocial services has left women with severe psychological problems without the support they need and can put other shelter residents at risk. The previously noted challenges of prosecution and the creation of additional problems for survivors of VAW through imprisonment of perpetrators and divorce was another are also potential unintended negative outcomes noted in the midterm review.

Another area of concern was the need for support and effective response procedures for program participants in the event that they receive threats, and timely reporting of incidents by implementing partners. Program participants can be exposed to considerable risk of being targeted for participating in activities. Though a number of these areas are beyond the control of partners, they highlight areas that could be further focused on in implementation. The lack of communication between implementing partners and DFAT regarding security incidents was noted, where the need to communicate such incidents has been dictated informally but there are no established procedures in place for reporting incidents. It was explained that often incidents are reported through ad hoc conversations or much later after the incident in scheduled reporting.

AWN staff described the advocacy coalitions as undertaking case advocacy at the local level. However, considering that AWN has no institutional history or expertise regarding case management, the review concludes that while AWN can play an effective role in coordinating policy advocacy efforts at the regional and provincial levels, they are likely not an appropriate mechanism through which to undertake case management. At the provincial level, this is largely currently coordinated through a variety of other actors with more experience and expertise in the area such as the AIHRC, WPC implementers, legal aid providers, and other organizations that have been providing direct support and services to VAW survivors at the local level. The findings of the review suggest that the advocacy coalitions would be more effective in referring survivors to these existing bodies rather than following cases independently, which could put survivors at risk through the potential for inappropriate referrals or inadequate following of cases due to lack of experience and expertise.

Challenges

A wide range of challenges persist, which constitute continued obstacles for achieving the outcomes and goal of the DFAT EVAW program. These generally included lack of public awareness regarding the consequences of VAW and women’s rights, persistent social and cultural norms that facilitate VAW, harmful traditional practices, and misinterpretations of Islam. In discussion with women residing in a WPC, several noted that before they came to the shelter they thought it was a bad place and that they are immoral centers and that they had misconceptions about the center prior to coming. However, as discussed in this review, these issues are being targeted through the DFAT EVAW program.

Continued reliance on and trust in traditional dispute resolution (TDR) mechanisms was also noted as a challenge to the activities successfully contributing to the goals and outcomes of the program. According to a report published by USIP in 2011, at least 80% of all disputes in Afghanistan were still resolved through TDR mechanisms, and in 2015 while 80% of Afghans felt that local shuras and jirgas are fair and can be trusted, only 68% felt the same about the Huquq Department and 60% regarding state courts.¹⁷ This challenge was similarly noted in the review, with the issue exacerbated regarding sensitive and family-related issues such as VAW due to wider sociocultural norms. Though the review found evidence of improvements in this area, the challenge of overcoming traditions and deeply entrenched beliefs persists.

This challenge is furthermore compounded by the lack of coordination mechanisms between the formal and informal justice sectors. TDR bodies and traditional and religious leaders are generally not held responsible or accountable for the decisions they make, and in the absence of registration and review mechanisms, there is limited opportunity to ensure that decisions are in accordance with the law and respect women’s and survivors’ rights. Though stakeholders from the formal justice sector felt that the approach of training informal justice actors on Afghanistan’s laws and which cases need to be referred to the formal justice sector, these activities could be more effective through formal mechanisms for coordination. However, this issue is external to TAF programming with ongoing efforts to develop a legal framework for this coordination between the formal justice sector and TDR bodies by MoJ.

Constraints in terms of government capacity, information management systems, and GIRoA budgeting capacity and donor dependency were further noted as challenges. Related to this, the multitude of actors and institutions involved in the EVAW sector—both in terms of donors and development partners as well as the government—is a challenge in the program. Effective development of activities and avoiding duplication requires coordination across multiple entry points and facilities providing support for survivors of VAW including WPCs, FGCs, FPCs, FRUs, the AGO Special EVAW Units, CSOs, and formal and informal justice institutions. Effective programming requires a thorough understanding of which services are provided, who is providing them, where they are geographically. It also requires government stakeholders to understand this complex landscape of EVAW actors and to understand their role within it, which was noted as present shortcoming for a number of government institutions.

A weak economy was further discussed as both a factor that fuels VAW, such as forced marriages for financial purposes, as well as preventing survivors of VAW from achieving financial independence as a means of reducing vulnerability to VAW with limited opportunities for effective economic empowerment existing for women. Insecurity furthermore constitutes a pervasive impediment, both putting implementers at risk as well as limiting options in terms of expanding coverage of various activities. Security for WPCs and FGCs, their staff and residents was also noted as an ongoing challenge. Striking a balance between maintaining a low profile and adequately providing for the safety of staff, residents, and facilities is an ongoing challenge.

The difficult operating context and the management structure for the program with key program staff based outside of Afghanistan poses an additional challenge. This is mitigated through effective program management processes, annual reviews at the programmatic level, semi-annual reporting and regular contact with implementing partners from DFAT staff based both in Australia and Afghanistan. However, persistent security issues can place limitations on DFAT’s ability to get a full and accurate picture of program implementation and activities on the ground, with challenges in verifying reporting and mentoring data. The DFAT program team in both Kabul and Canberra have a direct relationship with partners, and annual aid quality checks are undertaken to address this gap. There is also a general challenge in terms of availability of additional information to verify data, with a heavy reliance on implementing partners’ M&E systems, which is a challenge noted throughout all DFAT programs in Afghanistan. This issue is mitigated through supporting third party monitoring and evaluation, commissioning independent reviews at the midterm and endline stages, encouraging implementing partners to be open about progress and challenges, and undertaking annual program reviews.

Directory: about-us -> publications -> Documents
Documents -> Table of Contents 1 Introduction and Background 7
Documents -> Annual Review for 2014 Summary Report
Documents -> East Asia regional development cooperation report 2009 October 2010
Documents -> East Asia Regional Organisations and Programs Annual Program Performance Report 2011
Documents -> Development Cooperation Report 2010: Afghanistan May 2012
Documents -> Independent progress report
Documents -> Annual program performance report: South Asia 2008–09 September 2009
Documents -> Kuala Lumpur, 22 November 2015
Documents -> Aid Program Performance Report 2015-16

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