Since beginning operations in Afghanistan in 2003, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) has implemented numerous technical assistance programmes, benefiting thousands of legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, civil servants, and academics. These professionals have received training and access to legal tools and resources. IDLO has also enabled the provision of essential legal services to vulnerable people and communities, with a particular focus on women and girls.
In 2021, IDLO adapted its approach to enhance the capacity of non-state justice actors, such as civil society organizations, networks, and individual service providers.
An important advancement in Afghanistan has been the development of a comprehensive electronic database to track cases of violence against women and girls across the country. Launched in 2016, it is now being used in 20 provinces.
As part of IDLO’s continuous commitment to accountability and results-based management, IDLO is pleased to share this Mid-Term Evaluation Brief (summarised evaluation report): “Supporting Access to Justice in Afghanistan (SAJA)”. The evaluation has been conducted by independent evaluation experts, supervised by IDLO’s Evaluation Unit.
Mosooma* is 29 years old, and the only woman in a group of two dozen civil and commercial law instructors working for the Government and Bar Association in Afghanistan.
Despite significant donor assistance and a marked improvement over the past decade, Afghanistan's justice institutions still suffer from a severe lack of capacity across a range of basic competencies. These deficiencies persist due to a variety of factors, including the high turnover of staff in justice sector institutions and a lack of focus on developing the internal capacity of institutions to manage their own professional development.
A delegation led by Afghan Attorney General, Farid Hamidi, participated in the 21st Annual Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors in Dublin this month, with the support of IDLO.
The Upper House of the Afghan National Assembly has recognized the work of IDLO legal trainer and adviser Gul Ghutai Afzalyar with an award for her efforts to reform and clarify the Legislation for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (LEVAW) in Afghanistan.
Hossam Helal is an Egyptian judge, who has worked with IDLO in Afghanistan since 2005 in many roles, including Acting Chief of Party and Head of Training for JTTP.
After the brutal rape of a young woman in New Delhi in 2012, the issue of violence against women in India was thrust into the spotlight. The intensity of the national outcry in the aftermath led to the establishment of the Verna Committee, a governmental branch dedicated to addressing the issue of violence against women.
In a briefing at IDLO’s Headquarters in Rome, Member Parties heard from staff working in Afghanistan about the progress being made there in combatting violence against women. Field staff discusse
“International organizations in Afghanistan often try to reach their goals as if using a raft to cross a river.
