Afghanistan Public Policy Research Organization Afghanistan Rights Monitor: Baseline Report April 2016 Project Report Acknowledgements This report was made possible through funding from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands. APPRO wishes to express its sincere thanks to all those who agreed to participate in this baseline assessment. About the Researchers The researchers who worked on this report were (in alphabetical order): Fareba Auob, Enayat Bashardost, Samad Ebrahimi, Mohammad Ewaz, Sifullah Hayat, Dana Holland, Nafas Gull Karimi, Ehsanullah Khalili, Fatima Khavari, Lucile Martin, Marzia. Naqebullah, Fawzia Noori, Liloma Noori, Mahmood Omar, Saeed Parto, Zahra Qasemi, Baryalai Qayoumi, Marzia Rahmani, Mohammad Anwar Rahimi, Ehsan Saadat, Mohammad Sabir, Zarghona Saify, Lema Sakhizai, Farashta Wakili, Ahmad Yasir, Ismail Zahid. Dana Holland, Lucile Martin, Saeed Parto, and Ehsan Saadat authored this report. About Afghanistan Rights Monitor Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) was designed to meet the following objectives: 1. Regular monitoring of the current conditions of fundamental rights in Afghanistan using a set of indicators based on internationally recognized standards for monitoring Civic, Social and Economic rights. 2. Informed, pragmatic, and constructive advocacy messaging on fundamental rights needs, based on empirical data, and delivered by civil society actors 3. Increased capacity and responsiveness of public institutions to fundamental rights needs of Afghan citizens The above objectives are expected to contribute to good governance practices through informed and constructive engagement between civil society and government based on applied research, capacity development, and advocacy aimed at national and international stakeholders. For more information on ARM, see: www.nac-pp.net About APPRO Afghanistan Public Policy Research Organization (APPRO) is an independent social research organization with a mandate to promote social and policy learning to benefit development and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and other less developed countries through conducting social scientific research, monitoring and evaluation, and training and mentoring. APPRO is registered with the Ministry of Economy in Afghanistan as a non-profit non-government organization and headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan with offices in Mazar-e Sharif (north), Herat (west), Kandahar (south), Jalalabad (east), and Bamyan (center). APPRO is a founding member of APPRO-Europe, registered in Belgium. For more information, see: www.appro.org.af and www.appro-europe.net Contact: [email protected] APPRO takes full responsibility for all omissions and errors. © 2016. Afghanistan Public Policy Research Organization. Some rights reserved. This publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted only for non-commercial purposes and with written credit to APPRO and links to APPRO’s website at www.appro.org.af. Any other use of this publication requires prior written permission, which may be obtained by writing to: [email protected] www.appro.org.af 1 List of Abbreviations ACCI Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry AIDS Acquired immune deficiency syndrome AISA Afghanistan Investment Support Agency AIHRC Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission AJSC Afghanistan Journalists’ Safety Committee ALP Afghan Local Police ANP Afghan National Police AOG Armed Opposition Group APPRO Afghanistan Public Policy Research Organization BHC Basic Health Center CEDAW Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CHC Comprehensive Health Center CSO Civil Society Organization CSO Central Statistics Office DOPH Directorate of Public Health DOWA Directorate of Women’s Affairs EUI European University Institute EVAW Elimination of Violence Against Women FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FGD Focus group discussion FRU Family Response Unit HMIS Health Management Information System of the Ministry of Public Health IDP Internally Displaced Person ILO International Labor Organization MOI Ministry of Interior MOJ Ministry of Justice MOPH Ministry of Public Health MOWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs NAPWA National Action Plan For Women of Afghanistan NGO Non-Governmental Organization OHCHR United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner STD Sexually Transmittable Disease UN United Nations UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan UNICEF United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization VAW Violence against women WFP United Nations World Food Program www.appro.org.af 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 5 1. Background......................................................................................................................... 9 Legal Framework of Fundamental Rights in Afghanistan ................................................................ 10 Current Challenges for Human Rights in Afghanistan...................................................................... 12 Rights Monitoring Efforts in Afghanistan........................................................................................ 15 2. Objectives and Methodology ............................................................................................ 16 Scope and Sample .......................................................................................................................... 17 Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Research Limitations and Challenges.............................................................................................. 19 3. Findings From the Provinces ............................................................................................. 21 Balkh.............................................................................................................................................. 22 Civic Rights..........................................................................................................................................23 Social Rights........................................................................................................................................26 Economic Rights .................................................................................................................................29 Bamyan.......................................................................................................................................... 30 Civic Rights..........................................................................................................................................30 Social Rights........................................................................................................................................34 Economic Rights .................................................................................................................................37 Daikundi ........................................................................................................................................ 39 Civic Rights..........................................................................................................................................39 Social Rights........................................................................................................................................42 Economic Rights .................................................................................................................................46 Herat.............................................................................................................................................. 47 Civic Rights..........................................................................................................................................48 Social Rights........................................................................................................................................50 Economic Rights .................................................................................................................................52 Kabul ............................................................................................................................................. 54 Civic Rights..........................................................................................................................................55 Social Rights........................................................................................................................................59 Economic Rights .................................................................................................................................62 Kandahar ....................................................................................................................................... 64 Civic Rights..........................................................................................................................................65 Social Rights........................................................................................................................................68 Economic Rights .................................................................................................................................70