Afghanistan's foreign donors should press the new Afghan government to address the country's persistent human rights problems at a major upcoming international donor conference, Human Rights Watch said today in letters to representatives of more than a dozen donor countries.
Government representatives will be meeting on December 3-4, 2014, at the London Conference on Afghanistan 2014, to affirm donor humanitarian and security commitments to the country.
"Foreign donors should act now to protect the gains achieved and reverse the failings in Afghanistan's human rights record," said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
Kine further said, "Donors need to make crystal clear that their support for the Afghan government depends on its commitment to the rights of all Afghans, particularly women and girls."
Donors should urge the Afghan government to take specific steps to curb torture by the Afghan security forces, advance women's rights, and revitalize the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch said.
To effectively monitor human rights developments, the donors should jointly establish an independent monitoring and reporting mechanism to assess all areas of rights protection, including accountability for serious abuses, treatment of prisoners, women's rights, children's rights, corruption, and freedom of the media.
The September 29 inauguration of the new Afghan government and the withdrawal of most foreign military forces by the end of 2014 raise concerns that donors will reduce their commitment to Afghanistan on the basis that the core security mission has been accomplished.
Human Rights Watch urged the donors to recognize that safeguarding human rights is crucial for a more stable, inclusive, and prosperous Afghanistan.
