Midterm Review of the DFAT Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Program in Afghanistan

Deed of Standing Offer No. 65677/1

Final Report

7 March 2016

Adam Smith International

Marie Huber and Nabila Musleh

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Table of Contents

Acronyms and Terminology ............................................................................................................................. iii

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... v

Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... viii

Effectiveness ............................................................................................................................................. viii

Sustainability ................................................................................................................................................ ix

Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................................................................ ix

Efficiency ..................................................................................................................................................... ix

Future Funding ..............................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Scope, Methodology, and Methods ......................................................................................................... 1

Scope ........................................................................................................................................................... 1

Approach and Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 1

Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 2

1.2 Limitations ................................................................................................................................................ 3

2. Background ................................................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Context ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 DFAT EVAW Program ............................................................................................................................... 4

UN Women Afghan Women’s Protection Program ........................................................................................ 5

The Asia Foundation Strengthened Access to Justice for Women Affected by Violence through Proven Culturally Sensitive Approaches .................................................................................................................... 5

UNFPA Strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and other legal actors towards combatting VAW ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Afghan Women’s Network (AWN) Steps towards AWNs Institutional Development and Stability (STAIDS) .. 5

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) .................................................................... 5

3. Findings of the Midterm Review ................................................................................................................ 7

3.1 Effectiveness ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Progress Toward Planned Outcomes ............................................................................................................ 7

Theory of Change ....................................................................................................................................... 15

Policy Engagement ..................................................................................................................................... 16

Coverage, Beneficiaries, and Do No Harm.................................................................................................. 17

Challenges .................................................................................................................................................. 18

3.2 Sustainability .......................................................................................................................................... 19

Strategic Level ............................................................................................................................................ 19

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Programmatic Level .................................................................................................................................... 20

Capacity Development of Partners .............................................................................................................. 20

3.3 Monitoring and Evaluation ..................................................................................................................... 22

M&E System and Use of Monitoring Data ................................................................................................... 22

Performance Assessment Framework ........................................................................................................ 22

3.4 Efficiency ................................................................................................................................................ 23

Governance and Management Arrangements ............................................................................................. 23

Coordination ............................................................................................................................................... 23

4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 26

References ....................................................................................................................................................... 28

Annex A: Evaluation Matrix ............................................................................................................................. 31

Annex B: Performance Assessment Framework ........................................................................................... 35

Annex C: Collective Impact Framework ......................................................................................................... 36

Annex D: List of Interviews Conducted .......................................................................................................... 39

Annex E: EVAW Sector Stakeholder Identification Exercise ........................................................................ 42

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Acronyms and Terminology

AGO Attorney General’s Office

AIBA Afghanistan Independent Bar Association

AIHRC Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

AMDGs Afghanistan Millennium Development Goals

APRP Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program

ARTF Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund

AUD Australian Dollar (currency)

AWN Afghan Women’s Network

AWSDC Afghan Women’s Skills Development Center

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women

CI Collective Impact

CID Criminal Investigation Department

CLRWG Criminal Law Reform Working Group

CSG Core Steering Group

CSO Civil Society Organization

DFAT Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

DFATD Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development

DFID United Kingdom Department for International Development

DoWA Department of Women’s Affairs

EVAW Referring to the DFAT program, “Ending Violence Against Women”; referring to the EVAW Law and wider EVAW Sector in Afghanistan, “Elimination of Violence Against Women”

EVAW SF EVAW Special Fund

FGC Family Guidance Center

FRU Family Response Unit

GBV Gender-Based Violence

GBV SC Gender-Based Violence Sub-Cluster

HPC High Peace Council

KAP Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

MoHRA Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs

MoI Ministry of Interior

MoJ Ministry of Justice

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

MoWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs

NAPWA National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan

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NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NPP National Priority Program

PAF Performance Assessment Framework

PFM Public Finance Management

PPC Provincial Peace Council

PSA Public Service Announcement

SIGAR Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

SMAF Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework

SOP Standard Operating Procedure

TAF The Asia Foundation

TDR Traditional Dispute Resolution

TMAF Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework

ToC Theory of Change

ToR Terms of Reference

ToT Training of Trainers

UN United Nations

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund

USD United States Dollars (currency)

VAW Violence Against Women

WAC Women’s Assistance Centers

WAW Women for Afghan Women

WPC Women’s Protection Center

YWLP Young Women Leaders Program Khateeb: Religious leader who provides prayers and sermons in mosques. Khutba: The primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition, often formally at the noon congregation prayer on Friday. Baad: Baad marriage refers to the practice of marriage that occurs to compensate for a crime or wrong that has been committed or for payment of a debt, where often young girls are married into the victim’s family. Badal: Badal marriage refers to the practice of marriage based on exchange, where two families agree to exchange female members of their families, often to offset the cost associated with marriage or to strengthen family ties. Sharia: Referring to Sharia jurisprudence, Islamic canonical law based on the teachings of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet (Sunnah and Hadiths) prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes retributive penalties for law-breaking. Jirga/shura: Traditional gathering of local elders to address a community’s problem or to resolve a family problem or dispute.

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Executive Summary

This report presents the findings of the midterm review of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Program. The midterm review was initiated to examine achievements and identify potential ways to improve the EVAW program’s impact and to inform DFAT’s future decision-making. The objectives of this independent review were to: verify and assess progress to date and make recommendations for any modifications required over the remaining program duration to maximize results; and identify opportunities for future policy and program support in the EVAW sector.

The evaluation was undertaken based on OECD-DAC criteria identified as priority to DFAT at the midterm stage: effectiveness, sustainability, monitoring and evaluation, and efficiency. The review began with a desk review of program documents conducted remotely, followed by a ten-day in-country visit in January 2016 in which the review team conducted interviews with DFAT, program implementing partners, local partners, government stakeholders, beneficiaries, and EVAW sector stakeholders in Afghanistan. The review was conducted utilizing a mixed-methods approach, with primary data collection conducted through qualitative methods, combined with a review of secondary quantitative data provided by the implementing partners and triangulation of findings with additional secondary sources. The in-country visit faced a number of limitations in terms of time, access, and security as well as issues related to the availability of data.

Generally, the midterm review found the DFAT EVAW program to be highly effective. In consideration of the contextual challenges including security, social and cultural factors, and political will, the midterm review found the program to be making notable progress towards achieving its objectives. Under the first planned outcome of the program, women affected by violence having increased access to better services in target areas, the review found that the direct service provision to survivors of Violence Against Women (VAW) through Women’s Protection Centres (WPCs) and Family Guidance Centres (FGCs) is making effective contributions. These institutions have provided direct services to survivors of VAW and constitute a critical access point for protection and referral to further services such as healthcare and legal aid.

However, service gaps for VAW survivors were noted in a few key areas, especially psychosocial support and emotional care for staff, collecting forensic evidence, and transition and exit strategies for WPC residents. There are ongoing efforts to address economic empowerment options and exit strategies by UN Women, to which DFAT has also contributed an additional 2 million AUD. In terms of service quality, a wide range of institutions have received support through the DFAT EVAW program, including police, justice actors, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), WPCs, FGCs, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), civil society, and informal justice actors. Generally, the midterm review found ample 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.

In terms of service quality, a wide range of institutions have received support through the DFAT EVAW program, including police, justice actors, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), WPCs, FGCs, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), civil society, and informal justice actors. Generally, the midterm review found ample 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.

Under the second planned outcome—women affected by violence having increased access to justice in target provinces—the review found that progress has mostly been through engagement with the police sector and through community-based justice mechanisms, with direct engagement with the formal justice sector being a more limited component. In the police sector, there is clear demonstration of progress, with considerable training activities undertaken and the adoption and awareness raising of police on standard operating procedures for response to GBV cases. Evidence suggests that the standardization of processing GBV cases in the police sector has contributed to increased access to justice, where cases are being properly registered and referred instead of being sent back to the community or family.

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Outputs to date suggest progress in terms of increasing access to justice through the informal justice sector, with particularly the effectiveness of approaching EVAW through Islamic perspectives supported by the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs (MoHRA) and religious leaders at this level. Information provided by stakeholders for this review suggests that some activities have created an environment at the community level that has made traditional dispute resolution (TDR) bodies more supportive of women in cases regarding VAW, though this should be a key focus of evaluation at the endline stage in terms of assessing participant and community experiences and perspectives.

Under the third outcome—improved violence prevention practices and more effective community awareness—output targets regarding awareness raising suggest progress, though there is considerable further need in this area. 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. Additionally, the networking activities supported through the program at the provincial level demonstrate effectiveness in extending coordination among civil society organizations (CSOs) engaging on women’s issues at the national level to the local level, providing a platform for such organizations to meet and coordinate on local issues facing women.

The policy engagement component of the program was found to be less effective to date. Though there is evidence of change in knowledge, attitudes and practice in the program, there were fewer cases of policy initiatives and uptake and outcomes in policy through the DFAT EVAW program. There have been some cases of effective policy engagement such as the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) adopted by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and incorporation of the 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. The program has also provided support to civil society advocacy initiatives, but these were found to generally lack strategic focus with a particular emphasis on activities such as meetings and high-profile events, with inadequate follow-through and focus on outcomes.

The program has been effective in reaching a holistic range of direct and indirect beneficiaries, and the program has had considerable geographic reach and is coordinated geographically with other donor support, though stakeholders nearly universally noted a need to expand such programming to remote districts. Risk management is adequately considered, and do no harm principles were included in the program design. Though the risk register is completed semi-annually by implementing partners and DFAT, potential unintended consequences and do no harm principles are not consistently revisited and reconsidered throughout program implementation at present. Some areas for concern were noted regarding risks and threats to participants and inadequate response procedures in place to address such issues.

A wide range of challenges persist posing limitations to the potential effectiveness of the program and constituting continued obstacles for achieving the outcomes and goal. At the social level, 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, misinterpretations of Islam, and continued reliance on and trust in traditional dispute resolution mechanisms. This challenge is furthermore compounded by the lack of coordination mechanisms between the formal and informal justice sectors. Constraints in terms of government capacity, information management systems, and GIRoA budgeting capacity and donor dependency were further noted as challenges. At the macro level, a weak economy and the challenging operating and security context and remote management mechanisms for the program also pose challenges.

In terms of sustainability, the program is generally aligned with the larger EVAW priorities and objectives of the government, and implementing partners noted that government partners have been largely supportive of program activities. Still, there is less evidence of ownership and progress towards on-budget solutions to facilitate long-term sustainability. However, public finance management capacity and identifying clear and effective exit strategies remains a challenge for actors across the EVAW and all development sectors in Afghanistan.

At the programmatic level, implementation arrangements and particularly the materials developed and disseminated through the DFAT EVAW program are contributing to the sustainability of the program, with several instances of materials produced being utilized beyond the scope of program activities by government actors, community-level participants, and even incorporation into formal systems and procedures at the institutional level. Generally, the sustainability of the program is supported through cost-effective activities that focus on time-limited activities designed to achieve specific outcomes that can be sustained beyond the activity itself through training,

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capacity building, and dissemination of information and resource materials. However, some activities were found to face more critical sustainability issues—particularly challenges in terms of long-term financial self-sufficiency of WPCs and FGCs and support to the AIHRC if on-budget funding is not secured.

The review found evidence that the capacity of DFAT EVAW implementing partners and their local partners that has been developed will likely be sustained beyond the duration of the program, though at present such developments appear to be ad hoc rather than strategically targeted. The program has provided support in developing formal policies and systems as well as facilitating opportunities for strengthened coordination and engagement, particularly of local partners, which supports long-term strengthening of Afghan civil society capacities. However, specific partners were found to have persistent capacity gaps that require more targeted and focused technical support to ensure both effectiveness and sustainability of the program.

In terms of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), the current M&E system for the project is currently highly output-focused, and a number of indicators in the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF)—both quantitative and qualitative—are not supported by routine data collection to inform them. Overall, to date the monitoring data is adequately documenting progress in terms of outputs, but does not provide sufficient information to monitor whether these outputs are contributing to outcomes as planned. Furthermore, the lack of a uniform reporting template and the lack of alignment in M&E and reporting systems among partners presents a challenge in terms of an effective shared measurement system.

The overall PAF for the program was also found to need refinement and realignment to reflect progress and implementation experience to date. Some outcomes are not fully aligned with the overall goal of the program, and the current PAF does not adequately reflect the collective impact of the projects under the program. Several outcomes and intermediate outcomes are not fully aligned with activities, and the balance of indicators representing all partners’ activities is currently skewed. At this stage in the program, it is necessary to revisit the PAF collectively with all implementing partners to follow on this midterm review. Revising the PAF through a facilitated participatory learning process with face to face interaction between all partners would likely support the development of a more relevant and coherent PAF.

In terms of efficiency, implementing partners largely expressed satisfaction with the governance and management arrangement of the program under DFAT. Partners felt that the CSG has been a useful platform for coordination and development of relationships among partners and has promoted coordination and shared learning for the program. However, the review identified a need for more ownership among partners and a focus in the CSG on not only coordination and reporting of activities, but also utilizing the forum as a platform for regularly reviewing and assessing the outcomes and collective impact of the program among partners.

Overall the program is consistent with national and international frameworks supporting the EVAW sector, and coordination and dialogue between implementing partners and key sector stakeholders was largely evident at the central level across all projects. Coordination of the program with key government stakeholders has been formalized through a series of MoUs that support the projects. However, the findings of the review also suggest less effective coordination with government stakeholders at the provincial level. Issues of insecurity, and corruption were noted as impeding smooth coordination at this level. Though these challenges were noted, further efforts in this regard are critical to the sustainability of the activities and their outcomes.

In terms of harmonization of the program with other donor and government activities, limited duplication was observed in the midterm review. Various coordination mechanisms related to gender are in place, but coordination specifically on EVAW support is generally ad hoc. Stakeholders and partners noted that DFAT is active and engaged in the various platforms for coordinating activities, and the need for a coordination mechanism specifically for donors specifically on VAW was noted, rather than this being a component of wider gender coordination activities.

Overall, the review found that there have been considerable investments in the EVAW sector in Afghanistan, to which DFAT has provided critical support. The contributions of development partners, international organizations, and Afghan civil society in this area are currently critical, particularly in the context of the continued need to develop government capacities to deliver key services to survivors of VAW. The elimination of VAW is critical not only for women, but also for Afghan society and the peacefulness and stability of Afghanistan. The DFAT EVAW program is making important contributions in this regard, which should be sustained and continued over the long-term, with enduring support required to see the actualization of ending violence against women in Afghanistan.

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Recommendations

Effectiveness

Assess the options and resources required to facilitate programming in more remote districts. These could include resources for program staff to deliver programming within these districts, or to allocate resources to facilitate the travel of participants from remote districts to other locations. Though it is necessary to balance such efforts with contextual factors such as security and access, these areas are also among the areas with the most considerable need.

Undertake a thorough assessment of service gaps for survivors and coordinate with other donors to ensure that programming is complementary and that the wide range of EVAW sector programming is addressing these gaps, particularly related to gaps identified in this review in terms of psychosocial support, referral mechanisms, services from forensic departments, and building the capacity of protection service providers. Previous assessments undertaken within the EVAW sector as well as by DFAT EVAW program partners should inform such an analysis.

Clarify key concepts and agreeing on terminology and use of language throughout program activities, such as “victim” versus “survivor,” or “consumers” versus “beneficiaries.” Considering and discussing language used to convey more considered messages will help ensure partners are working with a common agenda and ensure that consistent messaging is applied throughout program activities among the different partners in a manner that is targeted and considered.

Undertake an assessment of service bottlenecks for services to VAW survivors. The issue of requiring a letter from CID for collection of forensic evidence emerged as a critical bottleneck in this review, and should be a focus for advocacy and efforts to facilitate coordination and reforms that ensure survivors have timely access to key services. Particularly coinciding with the implementation of the GBV Treatment Protocol, EVAW sector stakeholders working directly with survivors such as WPCs and FGCs should focus on this aspect of coordination and promoting improved health sector responsiveness to VAW. Considering the scope of programming under the DFAT EVAW program and wider programming being undertaken, UN Women and UNFPA are well-positioned to initiate efforts at further coordination on the issue of timely collection of forensic evidence in VAW cases.

Incorporate a stronger psychosocial support training component into UN Women capacity support to WPC implementing local partners, which was identified as an area where further support and capacity building is needed by stakeholders. Additionally, look at options for utilizing civil society organizations providing psychosocial services rather than only trainings to augment the capacity of WPCs.

Involve Police Academy trainers at provincial level as well in addition to MoI trainers.

Establish and support a mechanism for women and girls trained through the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) to facilitate their access to positions in relevant government institutions. This young force for change could be mobilized to support the integration of women’s rights and EVAW issues through sector activities. An MoU with relevant government institutions for an internship program with government institutions could help to encourage young leaders to explore their options within both civil society and the government. The mechanism would help to support the original aim of the program 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.

Require a case review mechanism in program components that work with traditional dispute resolution (TDR) bodies for case resolution to ensure that cases are resolved in accordance with the law and that referrals to government institutions are made when necessary. Potential for ad hoc cooperation between TDR bodies engaged through the program and formal justice and police institutions should be explored and encouraged.

Improve coordination and support to local partners, particularly in facilitating effective coordination with provincial stakeholders and government institutions such as AGO offices, DoWA, police, and AIHRC, CSOs including AWN, and other relevant stakeholders.

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Sustainability

Identify and assess options for building linkages between program activities and efforts to build the government’s capacity to undertake gender-responsive programming, particularly the ongoing Gender Responsive Budgeting reform, and to work not only with Gender Units within key stakeholder ministries but to also ensure the involvement of Budget Units to facilitate an understanding of key services and promote further progress towards on-budget solutions within the EVAW sector.

Identify and support the utilization of activities that help to promote sustainable access to resources and materials provided through the program, particularly in consideration of high levels of illiteracy and retention issues related to training activities over the long term. Through other programming, TAF has developed audio pens to accompany the 18 booklets, which allows participants to have the booklets read aloud to them when pointing the pen at specific lines of the booklets. These types of inputs, while costlier, could also represent an important investment in sustainability and long-term utilization of resources and materials. However, it is important to first undertake an assessment of audio-visual options to complement written training materials such as the audio pens utilized by TAF to determine to what extent they are accessible for illiterate and low literate individuals and the added value of investing in these resources.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Revise the PAF with the participation of all program IPs, with particular emphasis on refining the intermediate outcomes and indicators. Rather than developing indicators independently, indicators should be revised responsively and aligned with the data that partners have collected to date to ensure that there is data available for measuring progress under each indicator in the PAF. The peace process component should be removed as it is generally inconsistent with the rest of the PAF and the program goal.

A data collection plan should be developed that specifies which information will be collected by whom and at which frequency for each indicator to ensure that the PAF is aligned with the M&E systems of each partner and that each partner is aware of which monitoring data they should collect. Based on this, a specific reporting form should be developed for each partner with the data they are responsible for collecting to be attached as an annex to each partner’s semi-annual reporting.

Efficiency

Develop a formal security incident reporting mechanism, and protocols for the steps that should be taken when a participant or staff member is under threat. Consultations with partners suggested that these systems are currently informal, and at present such incidences are not always communicated to DFAT in a timely and proactive manner. DFAT assessed the internal security processes of implementing partners before supporting them under the program and is not prescriptive in how partners should manage and respond to security, and this recommendation does not suggest a change to this approach, but rather a mechanism for ensuring communication and continued review of security processes. A simple reporting form, including the date, location, nature, and target of the threat, as well as risk response measures taken, should be developed with a clear timeframe in place in which such incidents must be reported. This measure would further fulfil DFAT’s commitment to ensuring that the safety of participants is reasonably protected under all programs being supported through acting as an informal check to ensure that situations are being monitored and appropriate risk response actions have been taken.

One CSG meeting each year should be dedicated to reviewing the PAF, and each partner reporting on their progress on each indicator and utilizing the forum to reflect on progress at a programmatic and outcome level.

Rather than incorporating local partners into the CSG, an annual mechanism that facilitates direct interaction of local partners with DFAT should be established. This would facilitate program-level interaction and information sharing, as well as providing a potentially useful vehicle for supporting further capacity development of local partners.

Develop a ToR for the CSG and assign responsibilities to members in developing agendas and proactively engaging in providing input on meeting content.

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Take a role in developing an effective platform for donor coordination specifically in relation to the EVAW sector. Potential was perceived in developing this as a follow-on to the Gender Donor Working Group with a specific sub-group dedicated to coordination on EVAW issues. Other stakeholders noted previous successes hosting coordination meetings on an ad hoc basis for EVAW development partner stakeholders, and a similar forum could be explored through initiation from DFAT.

Improve coordination with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). At present, MoJ is largely involved as a secondary focus in the program, and the review found evidence that as such their needs and priorities have not been as thoroughly solicited and considered as other partners.

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1. Introduction

This report presents the findings of the midterm review of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Program in Afghanistan, undertaken by Adam Smith International. The review team comprised a Team Leader, National EVAW Expert, and Translator.

The midterm review was initiated to examine achievements and identify potential ways to improve the EVAW program’s impact and sustainability. This review is intended to inform DFAT’s future decision-making for the EVAW program and policy dialogue with the Government of Afghanistan and relevant international and non-government stakeholders. The objectives of this independent review were twofold:

1. Verify and assess progress to date and make recommendations for any modifications required over the remaining program duration to maximize results; and

2. Identify opportunities for future policy and program support in the EVAW sector.

The team would like to express its appreciation of the logistical support provided by Adam Smith International in Kabul, as well as the support and inputs provided by DFAT, the Australian Embassy in Kabul, and the implementing partners of the DFAT EVAW program—the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission, Afghan Women’s Network, The Asia Foundation, UN Women, and UNFPA during the course of this review. We would also like to thank all the participants in this evaluation for their time and for sharing their invaluable perspectives and inputs for this review.

1.1 Scope, Methodology, and Methods

Scope

This review addresses the entire program and its activities since its commencement in June 2013. The primary focus of the review is the combined implications of the projects and whether the program activities and means of implementation have furthered the program towards achieving its intended outcomes and overall goal. A key focus of this review is whether the program contributes in terms of strengthening the systems in place for combating VAW at all levels, from the grassroots and traditional actors engaged in the projects to the institutional level that is the focus of much of the program, as well as whether this institutional support is sustainable through meaningful policy change, effective capacity development, and adequate buy-in from key stakeholders. This review also places considerable focus on the implementation arrangements and means of delivery and coordination in the project, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the program.

Approach and Methodology

The overall tool informing the review was the evaluation matrix, which was aligned with the OECD-DAC criteria identified as priority criteria to DFAT at the midterm stage: effectiveness, sustainability, monitoring and evaluation, and efficiency (See Annex A: Evaluation Matrix). The questions in the matrix were based on the terms of

reference for the review.

Given the integrated approach of the program and the variety of implementing partners ranging from civil society to government to international organizations, this review generally approached learning and evaluation through the context of collective impact, which is best suited for addressing large-scale social problems such as VAW. Collective impact (CI) occurs when a group of actors from different sectors commit to a common agenda for solving a complex social or environmental problem. The CI approach is particularly suited to this review, as it is based on the rationale that traditional approaches to evaluation, in which an individual organization is held accountable for effectively implementing a specific program or intervention, cannot offer CI partners the robust support they need to track their progress, improve their effectiveness, and adapt their strategy over time. At the midterm stage, CI is generally focused on intermediate outcomes reflected in behavioral and systems changes

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that contribute to the achievement of the projects goals and intended outcomes.1 (See Annex C: Collective Impact Framework)

Methods

The review was conducted utilizing a mixed-methods approach, with primary data collection conducted through qualitative methods, combined with a review of secondary quantitative data provided by the implementing partners and triangulation of findings with additional secondary sources. The review began with a desk review of program documents conducted remotely, followed by a ten-day in-country visit in January 2016.

The approach for this evaluation was designed with a focus on promoting learning for DFAT, the EVAW program partners, and government stakeholders. A key element of the evaluation was a Strategic Learning Debrief. The Strategic Learning Debrief is a facilitated meeting that brings data collection and analysis together with intuitive learning in the context of a Theory of Change. Specifically, the Strategic Learning Debrief is an opportunity to: explore what strategies were completed during a pre-defined time period; review what has been learned about the outcomes and preconditions the program intends to influence; and discuss the relationship between strategies, outcomes, and preconditions. The Strategic Learning Debrief was conducted at the beginning of the in-country visit with representation from DFAT and all DFAT EVAW program implementing partners, and set the foundations for the data collection to inform this review.

To collect information to inform the review based on the evaluation matrix, the evaluation team utilized different data collection tools, including:

Desk review of DFAT EVAW program documentation

Review of available documentation and secondary research related to the EVAW sector in Afghanistan

Stakeholder identification exercise conducted prior to the in-country visit (See Annex E: EVAW Sector Stakeholder Identification Exercise)

Strategic Learning Debrief with DFAT and EVAW program implementing partners

Semi-structured interviews with individual DFAT EVAW program implementing partners

Semi-structured interviews with local partners of DFAT EVAW program implementing partners

Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders at the central level

Semi-structured telephone interviews with key stakeholders at the regional and provincial level

Group discussions with beneficiaries (a sample of shelter residents and YWLP participants selected by the implementing partners)

Development of an aide memoire at the end of the in-country visit and presentation of the aide memoire and preliminary findings to DFAT, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and EVAW program implementing partners

Semi-structured interviews with DFAT officials

(See Annex D: List of Interviews Conducted)

In order to protect the rights of the participants, ensure voluntary participation, and uphold the principles of do no harm, a mandatory consent form was developed for use in all interviews. The consent form explained the context and purpose of the review, established informed consent, and ensured anonymity of responses and information provided. Given the sensitive nature of the evaluation topic and in line with the informed consent process of the review, all data was anonymized regarding the names and positions of the participants.

Analysis of the data was undertaken on an ongoing, in-process basis during the in-field activities. Detailed notes were taken during each interview, and where consent was provided, interviews were recorded to allow the team members to revisit specific dialogues and conversations in the analysis phase. Upon conclusion of the in-country visit, all notes and materials were coded using Dedoose computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software to

1 Hallie Preskill, Marcie Parkhurst, and Jennifer Splansky Juster, “Guide to Evaluating Collective Impact: Learning and Evaluation in the Collective Impact Context,” Collective Impact Forum.

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ensure that themes were identified and addressed according to the evaluation questions, and well as to verify and expand upon the key findings and clarified in the aide memoire.

1.2 Limitations

Limitations 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.

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2. Background

2.1 Context

Afghanistan 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 Program

Australia 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:

1. Women affected by violence have increased access to better services in target areas; 2. Women affected by violence have increased access to justice in target provinces, through both formal and

community-based justice mechanisms; and 3. Violence prevention practices are improved, including more effective community awareness and advocacy

and engagement of women in peace processes.

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.

2 “Human Development Report 2014: Work for Human Development,” United Nations Development Programme, 2015, http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2015_human_development_report.pdf. 3 “Resource Guide,” Violence Against Women and Girls, 2014, http://www.vawgresourceguide.org/overview. 4 “Violence Against Women in Afghanistan 1392,” Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, 2014, http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5297436c4.pdf. 5 “Afghanistan Gender Equality Report Card: Evaluating the Government of Afghanistan’s Commitments to Women and Gender Equality,” Equality for Peace and Democracy, 2015, http://www.epd-afg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/GERC-English.pdf.

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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 Program

Support 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 Approaches

The 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 VAW

Support 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

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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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3. Findings of the Midterm Review

3.1 Effectiveness

Generally, the effectiveness program was assessed to be positive, as outlined below. In consideration of the contextual challenges including security, social and cultural factors, and political will, the midterm review found the program to be making progress towards achieving its objectives. The effectiveness of the program is reviewed in terms of activities implemented to date and the extent to which activities are effectively mutually reinforcing, as well as the effectiveness of these activities collectively in terms of the three program outcomes.

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 first intermediate outcome under this component is that women who experience violence can access quality, integrated protection services in target areas. The primary direct service provision component of the activities supported under the DFAT EVAW program is through the support to WPCs and FGCs under the UN Women project. Under this project, three existing WPCs are being supported in three provinces. The project saw the establishment of four new WPCs in four provinces, though one WPC was closed due to security issues and reopened as FGC, at which point DFAT was supporting nine WPCs and two FGCs. With the decreased funding in the second phase of the program, other donors supported six of the WPCs previously funded through DFAT and the FGCs.6

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 6 According to UN Women, these facilities were supported by the Korean government from July to December 2015 and will be funded by the Norwegian and Swedish governments through the end of 2016.

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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

7 “Standard Operating Procedures for Healthcare Sector Response to Gender-Based Violence: Referral procedures and guidelines for health care providers as part of the Implementation Package of Multi-agency Coordination Model,” Ministry of Public Health, https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/SOP%20Final.pdf. 8 “Explore Women’s Economic Empowerment as it Relates to Gender Equality and Global Economies and Find Out What Can Be Done to Overcome Barriers Facing Women Worldwide,” Soroptimist White Paper, Soroptimist International of the Americas, February 2013, http://www.soroptimist.org/whitepapers/whitepaperdocs/wpwomenandeconomicempowerment.pdf. 9 “Nepal: Preliminary Mapping of Gender Based Violence,” The Asia Foundation, 2010, https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/GBVMappingNepal.pdf. 10 This was discussed with EVAW sector stakeholders including the US Embassy, DFID, WPCs, MoWA, and UN Women. 11 “Labor force participation rate, female,” World Bank, 2015, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS.

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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

Evidence in the midterm review would suggest that progress has been made in terms of increased coordination and standardization of services available to women and girl survivors of VAW through WPCs and FGCs, notably through the WPC Coordination Committee, which the DFAT EVAW program supports. Evidence from the review based on interviews with EVAW sector stakeholders and reporting from the AIHRC demonstrates that the AIHRC continues to be an accessible body for women to receive support in registering their cases and being referred for further services regarding VAW. The AIHRC has a Women’s Rights Unit, which receives complaints and investigates cases of violence against women. According to the 2015 Survey of the Afghan People, 23% of Afghans know of an organization, institution, or authority in their area where women can go to have their problems resolved. Of these, 46% identified DoWA, 10% the District Governor’s Office, and 9% the AIHRC. Considering the wide range of institutions available to women including those in the police, justice, and health sectors, it is considerable that the AIHRC is this widely known as an entry point for support for women. According to consultations with AIHRC, the support received through this program has been effective in facilitating their continued work, especially with a noted growing need and the limited resources and means accessible to the AIHRC with no government funding.

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

Another area of direct service provision under this component of the program is the VAW hotline established under the TAF project implemented by a local partner. The project hotline has three main objectives: (1) increase women’s access to justice; (2) provide consultation for women affected by violence and (3) provide referral and assistance for men and women seeking information related to VAW cases. The hotline was established in 2014 and agreements were signed with all major mobile companies in Afghanistan to receive calls from their subscribers.12 Radio PSAs were also broadcast to raise awareness of the hotline which is operational seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, in the most recent reporting period from July 2015 to December 2015, the hotline only provided counselling for 7,159 callers from 34 provinces—averaging out to approximately

12 Including Roshan, MTN, Etisalat, and AWCC

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40 calls per day, or five calls per hour. According to the most recent reporting from the hotline, only 33% of callers were women, and only 400 referrals were made, approximately two per day. According to the implementing partner, men are calling to seek support regarding their own personal matters with their own families and to get support for their female family members, and recent local partner reporting explained that the second highest reason for men calling the hotline was to ask about the hotline itself. The local partner explained that men seek guidance on social issues such as cultural issues, baad, and other topics. However, other stakeholders expressed

concerns that the hotline is being called for reasons irrelevant to the purpose of the hotline, particularly since the calls are free. Additionally, as men can easily approach other information sources such as the police, justice actors, and traditional and religious leaders, the review concludes that having such a hotline that is predominantly used by men does not demonstrate adequate value for money in terms of an effective use of human and financial resources.

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.

In the most recent reporting from TAF, it was clarified that a number of deliverables are planned to be removed under the hotline as they will not be completed by the end of the project, including a monitoring and evaluation mechanism/plan, working with local elders as part of public outreach, comprehensive case recording structure, complete database of government employees, transition to the Ministry of Women Affairs, description of project during call waiting period, and summarizing the public outreach campaign to the broadcast of radio PSAs and the distribution of brochures. Particularly in the absence of these critical components, the review concludes that the effectiveness of this component in contributing to the overall objective of increasing women’s access to quality services is limited.

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

13 “Afghan Women’s Access to Mobile Technology,” USAID, 2013, https://www.usaid.gov/afghanistan/infographic-afghan-mobile.

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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.

14 The program works with the Afghan National Police (ANP) and does not work with the Afghan Local Police (ALP) in any capacity

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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.

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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.

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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.

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(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

15 “Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women,” Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 2009, http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5486d1a34.pdf.

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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

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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

16 In March 2015, Farkhunda Malikzada was publicly murdered in Kabul city. The case received widespread media attention and was widely protested in Afghanistan.

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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.

17 “A Survey of the Afghan People: Afghanistan in 2015,” The Asia Foundation, 2015.

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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.

3.2 Sustainability

In consideration of the scope of the program, this review looked at sustainability at three different levels: (1) the strategic level, (2) the programmatic level, and (3) capacity development of partners. At these three levels, the review considered whether the benefits and progress of the DFAT EVAW program are likely to continue beyond the life of the program and in the absence of external support.

Strategic Level

As a whole, the program is generally aligned with the larger EVAW priorities and objectives of the government, and implementing partners noted that government partners have been largely supportive of program activities. Though the review found support for the EVAW program and evidence of ownership in a number of areas such as incorporating training materials into ministry activities and the involvement of government officials in implementation, there is still progress to be made in terms of ownership and political willingness to support EVAW sector programming, particularly through on-budget programming.

Ultimately, the long-term sustainability of the program is hindered by the current nature of off-budget support to EVAW sector activities. Afghanistan has large on-budget flows, but much of this support is channeled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and is closely linked to foreign technical assistance.18 In Afghanistan, the issue of off-budget funding and sustainability has been addressed through the donor commitment of channeling 50 percent of assistance on-budget, which the Australian government has also committed to. At present, on-budget support from the Australian government is similarly channeled through the ARTF, and all support to the DFAT EVAW program is currently off-budget.

18 Trent Ruder, “Lessons and Opportunities from the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework,” United States Institute of Peace, September 2015, http://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/SR378-Lessons-and-Opportunities-from-the-Tokyo-Mutual-Accountability-Framework.pdf.

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There has been some notable progress in terms of Public Finance Management (PFM) in Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan’s one-year budget cycle, procurement issues, and inadequate institutional capacity limit the government’s ability to absorb funds, which creates bottlenecks and has resulted in a consistently low budget execution rate.19 SIGAR has also found “critical or high” risks in ministries planned to or receiving on-budget assistance. On-budget projects are generally more time and labor intensive for donors, and can have further complications for fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities and satisfying oversight agencies.20 Several government and EVAW sector stakeholders also recognized the importance of on-budget support and the need for donor commitment to continued efforts to channel off-budget support through on-budget streams as government budgeting capacities improve. Identifying clear and and effective exit strategies remains a challenge for actors across the EVAW and all development sectors in Afghanistan.

Programmatic Level

At the programmatic level, implementation arrangements and particularly the materials developed and disseminated through the DFAT EVAW program are contributing to the sustainability of the program. There are several instances of materials produced being utilized beyond the scope of program activities, including the incorporation of the police manual into trainings and curriculum. Similarly, as previously mentioned, through several programs—most notably TAF and UNFPA programming—efforts have been made to involve government officials in the provision of trainings through the identification and training of Master Trainers who are government staff, which promotes sustainability through supporting the development of training capacity within institutions rather than continually relying on external capacity building support.

The technical support in developing systems for monitoring, documentation, registration and reporting that have been supported through the capacity building of MoWA, MoI, and the AGO have resulted in processes and frameworks that can be sustained beyond the life of the program. Anecdotal evidence from this review suggests that the forms, systems, and technical support that have been provided have been effectively adopted and utilized by these agencies, most notably MoI, and will contribute to long-term improvements in effectiveness of service provision and monitoring of services for survivors of VAW.

Generally, the sustainability of the program is supported through cost-effective and time-limited activities designed to achieve specific outcomes that can be sustained beyond the activity itself through training, capacity building, and dissemination of information and resource materials. However, there are also a number of components in which the review found the sustainability component to be weak. Similarly, support to WPCs and FGCs will likely lead to challenges in the long-term, with all funding currently channeled directly to civil society partners operating the facilities. Though the Women’s Protection Directorate and the Shelter Regulations established in MoWA have helped to bring these programs more directly under the scope of government services, there is limited will and capacity to support them through on-budget means. Though MoWA stakeholders have expressed interest in operating WPCs, previously MoWA temporarily took responsibility for two shelters, but were found to lack the capacity to operate them and understanding of the services required for survivors of VAW. There are considerable external challenges to this as well in terms of political will, as the national budget ultimately must be approved by the Parliament, which has demonstrated questionable support for EVAW sector activities, most apparent in having not yet approved the EVAW Law in Parliament. Though the long-term financial sustainability of the facilities is hindered by the current nature of funding delivery, this review found that in the current context continuing to support them through local partners and focusing on the increased capacity of MoWA to monitor and regulate the facilities is likely the most effective approach, as such services have been found to be essential.

Support to the AIHRC faces similar challenges, with the AIHRC currently receiving no support through the government for various reasons including concerns regarding maintaining the independence of the AIHRC and the AIHRC needing to have their tashkeel approved by the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission. However, the AIHRC explained in consultation for this review that there is a possibility of receiving on-budget funding this year, which was identified as a promising development in terms of addressing long-term sustainability concerns for AIHRC.

Capacity Development of Partners

19 Ibid.

“Independent Review of Afghanistan 1395 Draft National Budget,” EQUALITY for Peace and Democracy, December 2015, http://www.epd-afg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1395-Budget-Snapshot_English_14-12.pdf. 20 Trent Ruder, “Lessons and Opportunities from the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework,” 2015.

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The review found evidence that the capacity of DFAT EVAW implementing partners and their local partners that has been developed will likely be sustained beyond the duration of the program, though at present such developments appear to be ad hoc rather than strategically targeted. While DFAT is flexible in governance and management of the EVAW program, there is currently no direct technical support provided by DFAT to partners. However, partners noted the usefulness of the feedback received from DFAT throughout the program and particularly in response to monitoring reports. The program has provided support in developing formal policies and systems as well as facilitating opportunities for strengthened coordination and engagement, particularly of local partners, which supports long-term strengthening of Afghan civil society capacities.

An organizational assessment of AWN has been completed through support from the DFAT EVAW program, and draft policies have been developed at this stage covering areas including communications, internal auditing, security, logistics, administration, branding, and fundraising. A capacity building department has been established, and has provided trainings to AWN staff and member organizations. Though several organizational development activities are still in process, the review has observed that there are several key areas that require further focus, especially results-based monitoring and reporting, capacity building, communications, and strategic advocacy focus.

In the implementation of capacity building activities, AWN is currently utilizing in-house capacities with limited input from experts on the wide range of topics covered in developing materials, which spans from gender to advocacy to proposal writing. Though in-house capacity appears strong in terms of training delivery, AWN does not draw on specialized expert support in the development of training materials. This is a considerable limitation for AWN in developing much-needed capacity, where the materials informing the trainings and not developed with adequate expertise and with considerable limitations in terms of availability of resources to develop the materials in Dari.

The EVAW IPs were found to have widely varying levels of capacity in monitoring and reporting. AWN was weak in this regard, with reporting currently very activity-focused, with linkages to the outcome level currently limited. AWN staff also demonstrated limited understanding of M&E concepts and practice. The capacity of AIHRC in terms of reporting under the project was also found to be insufficient. However, AIHRC receives core funding through this program for the overall function of the commission and the funding is not earmarked, but AIHRC is aware of DFAT’s priorities and the focus of the funding is being allocated to women’s right issues and to support of survivors of VAW. AIHRC was also noted to have insufficient staffing, which makes communication and coordination a challenge for the program.

The TAF program was found to be particularly effective at supporting capacity development of local partners. TAF has provided trainings for M&E officers and in financial management for all project local partners, and has coordination meetings with all partners every month to discuss issues encountered and feedback from program participants and to discuss suggestions regarding the implementation of the project. TAF also support its partners in drafting key policies where they were found to not have them in place, particularly in developing effective financial systems, M&E, and the development of SOPs. Overall, the relationship between TAF and its partners was found to be flexible, open, and supportive. Similarly, the review found that the capacity of HEWAD has been improved through implementation of the UNFPA project. The quality of reports provided by HEWAD has improved through provision of technical feedback by UNFPA and UN policies are being followed to ensure alignment of activities, monitoring and reporting. HEWAD felt that the support they have received has enabled them to grow and expand as an organization.

The interviews with the shelters reveal that the capacity of the organizations and the WPCs has improved, though as previously noted it was found that much of the direct training and technical support they have received has been through other programming, and the previously discussed capacity gaps persist. Additionally, limited financial capacity prevents them from doing their work properly, with considerable limitations in terms of transportation resources and accessibility. Positively, the UN Women partners are part of the ASN and coordinate their work and cases jointly. Through support external to DFAT EVAW programming, UN Women has also recently contracted a firm to support capacity of partners as well as MoWA in the areas of project cycle management, M&E, and reporting and organizational development.

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3.3 Monitoring and Evaluation

In assessing the monitoring and evaluation of the program, the review focuses on the M&E systems and reporting mechanisms in place, the use of monitoring data, and the overall appropriateness of the PAF for the program. Additionally, the review addressed the utility of the current M&E system in terms of facilitating a shared measurement system and assessing progress at a programmatic level.

M&E System and Use of Monitoring Data

The current M&E system for the project is currently highly output-focused, and a number of indicators in the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF)—both quantitative and qualitative—are not supported by routine data collection to inform them. Overall, to date the monitoring data that has been communicated in reporting from IPs is adequately documenting progress in terms of outputs, but does not provide sufficient information to monitor whether these outputs are contributing to outcomes as planned. Each partner utilizes a different monitoring and reporting format, which are similarly activity-oriented, and do not necessarily require the collection or reporting of data according to indicators in the PAF.

This lack of alignment in M&E and reporting systems among partners for the program presents a challenge in terms of an effective shared measurement system. The challenge was noted among partners in terms of the differing modalities each organization uses for monitoring, and the need to ensure that systems are aligned with each partner’s existing monitoring procedures and infrastructure. However, there is room for flexibility in terms of the means collecting data while still aligning the data collected with the overall PAF. The lack of data to reflect progress at the outcome level furthermore limits partners’ and DFAT’s ability to utilize monitoring data in decision-making. As explained by the partners and Core Steering Group (CSG) participants, the CSG is primarily utilized as a forum for partners to report on their activities, with limited engagement between the partners in terms of reviewing progress at the outcome level. It was noted that its utility could be improved by utilizing the platform to review not only progress in terms of activities and outputs, but to collectively review progress at the outcome and intermediate outcome levels.

Performance Assessment Framework

The overall PAF for the program needs refinement and realignment to reflect progress and implementation experience to date. Some outcomes are not fully aligned with the overall goal of the program, and the current PAF does not adequately reflect the collective impact of the projects under the program. Outcome two focuses on the justice sector, which is not a central focus of partners’ activities, whereas the police sector is not specifically reflected in the PAF. The peace process component under outcome three is not adequately aligned with the program or its overall goal, and is largely irrelevant to the rest of the PAF and the wider EVAW program.

The PAF should be updated to incorporate AIHRC and AWN activities under the program, as their activities’ contributions toward the achievement of program outcomes and goals has not been incorporated into the measurement system under the PAF since the addition of these components in the second phase of the program. Additionally, capacity building of key government stakeholders is not adequately reflected in the indicators of the PAF, which largely reflect the trainings delivered but do not attempt to capture the institutionalization of change within the relevant stakeholder institutions.

Currently, each of the three outcomes under the PAF is heavily aligned with one specific partner and project, though various activities from each partner align with each outcome. This was also evident in the Strategic Learning Debrief, where each partner felt that their activities were most relevant to one of the outcomes, which evidenced a lack of considered reflection on how the program activities are contributing to multiple aspects of the program’s planned outcomes. The PAF and M&E system for the program are also limited in terms of attribution, with several indicators measuring macro-level changes that align with DFAT activities but also a wide range of other donors and programming engaging in the sector and without adequate consideration to geographic location of the respective programs.

At this stage in the program, it is necessary to revisit the PAF collectively with all implementing partners to follow on this midterm review and collectively revise the intermediate outcomes accordingly, then revisit the indicators under each component of the project. Furthermore, it is important to review and revise the indicators in the context of the monitoring data that has been collected by partners to date. Revising the PAF through a facilitated

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participatory learning process with face to face interaction between all partners would likely support the development of a more relevant and coherent PAF.

3.4 Efficiency

In the scope of this review, efficiency is largely considered in terms of governance and management arrangements and the coordination and coherence of the program with the government and other donors and programming in the EVAW sector.

Governance and Management Arrangements

Implementing partners largely expressed satisfaction with the governance and management arrangement of the program under DFAT, particularly noting the flexibility and responsiveness of DFAT as a donor. All partners appreciated the level of support they receive in terms of no-cost extensions, changing and expansion of activities and target areas, amendments and revision of project documents related to external challenges such as currency depreciation, and addressing some cases of of under-expending by local partners.

Partners felt that the CSG—a semi-annual meeting among DFAT, implementing partners, and DFID—has been a useful platform for coordination and development of relationships among partners. The forum has helped partners to proactively address potential duplication, such as the support planned by UN Women and TAF to EVAW Commissions that was subsequently removed from TAF activities. The forum also provides an opportunity for coordination on a geographic level, where partners regularly review which activities are being implemented in which provinces and districts to facilitate coordination and joint efforts where programs overlap geographically. Through this platform, partners with similar activities and direction of work are encouraged to coordinate and share training manuals and other project materials produced such as SOPs, needs assessments and evaluation reports, strategy documents, and other relevant resources that can be utilized by other partners.

The review identified different levels of understanding of the CSG by different partners. While some view it as a forum for reporting activities, others are interested to have it as a platform to discuss issues at the outcome level and facilitate and more targeted lessons learned and best practices sharing and utilization. While the CSG is an important forum for the oversight role of DFAT, the forum should be also owned by partners through their proactive participation, agenda setting, and utilization of each other’s lessons learned and best practices. A specification of the CSG objectives and functionality could be improved by developing a ToR giving specific responsibilities to partners and encouraging their meaningful and proactive participation.

After the rapid review in October 2014, it was agreed that the CSG plenary would be extended to include local partners. However, this has proved impractical to date, with each CSG since then requiring specific information or topics to be addressed and making it not possible to invite local partners to participate as well. All local partners showed a huge interest in direct communication with DFAT periodically which they felt would allow them to raise management and implementation issues to both direct and indirect funders. The reactions of some implementing partners to involving the local partners was mixed in terms of its perceived potential impact on the implementation of the program. However, the review concludes that it could provide an important forum for making linkages throughout the program from the donor down to those directly implementing on the ground, and could be a valuable opportunity for supporting the further capacity development of local partners.

Coordination

Government

Overall the program is consistent with national and international frameworks including the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA), National Priority Programs (NPPs), the Afghanistan Millennium Development Goals (AMDGs), CEDAW, UNSCR 1325, and the Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework (SMAF) and Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF). Furthermore, consultations with government stakeholders generally evidenced an alignment of program activities with government objectives and priorities. The review verified the completion of activities reported under effectiveness through consultations with various stakeholders, and coordination and dialogue between implementing partners and key sector stakeholders was largely evident at the central level across all projects. However, there were limitations noted in the coordination of the UNFPA program with the wider police sector stakeholders, where effective coordination was noted with the MoI Gender Unit, but was less apparent with the Police Academy and the Ministry of Justice.

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Coordination of the program with key government stakeholders has been formalized through a series of MoUs that support the projects. TAF has signed MoUs with the AGO and MoWA, and these institutions have assigned an official representative to monitor TAF activities that serve as a focal point for coordination between TAF and the institutions. According to TAF, this mechanism has proven effective, with any issues encountered at the provincial level relayed to the central level focal points for the project who were able to address the issue. Similarly, UNFPA has signed an MoU with MoI, and HEWAD also reported having an MoU in place with MoJ in relation to the project. However, HEWAD noted that they were unable to secure a MoU with the Supreme Court due to a lack of high level engagement. UN Women has implemented their programming through a joint work plan with MoWA, and UNFPA noted that a similar mechanism would be useful to develop with MoI. UN Women has implemented their programming through a joint work plan with MoWA,.

The findings of the review also suggest less effective coordination with government stakeholders at the provincial level, such as the AGO and DoWA. The local partners were not well-known to stakeholders meant to be receiving support and participating in programming at the provincial level. The limited awareness of select government stakeholders at the provincial level would suggest the need for further focus on coordination and ensuring activities are effectively coordinated with all key government stakeholders. In terms of local partners’ engagement with provincial office of the government, issues of insecurity, corruption, and demands and expectation from individuals within key stakeholder institution was noted as impeding smooth coordination and sometimes requiring intervention from stakeholders at the central level and support from their donor to address the issue. Though the challenges of coordination at this level were noted, further efforts in this regard are critical to the sustainability of the activities and their outcomes.

Other Donors and Programs

In terms of harmonization of the program with other donor and government activities, limited duplication was observed in the midterm review. Various coordination activities external to the DFAT EVAW program have contributed to this lack of duplication, such as the GBV harmonization framework was prepared and approved by UN agencies and addressed the activity areas of each agency based on their initial mandate and aims to prevent duplication of efforts. WPCs, FGCs, and FPCs are well harmonized, and their activities and services were found to be complementary. However, the Women’s Assistance Centers (WAC) established by UNDP have an overlapping function to FGCs, which should be further addressed. Additionally, the findings of 4W exercise conducted by GBV-SC have helped donors and partners to harmonize their work at different levels. DFAT support to AIHRC is coordinated with other development partners providing support, mainly led by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (DFATD).

However, coordination—particularly among donors—was noted as a limitation across the EVAW sector. Various coordination mechanisms related to gender are in place, but coordination specif ically on EVAW support is generally ad hoc. The Gender Donor Coordination Group and ARTF gender meetings provide an opportunity for donor coordination on gender issues, but this encompasses the wide range of gender-related interventions and support. The EVAW Special Fund (EVAW SF) Advisory Board also provides an opportunity for coordination, but it is largely a forum for UN Women donors, and though various groups attend the meeting there are fewer donors present.

The GBV Sub-Cluster (GBV SC) was started in 2009 and is chaired by UNFPA, and AIHRC has signed a MoU with UNFPA on GBV SC coordination group and co-chairs the monthly meetings. In 2015 the platform was revised and the ToR aligned with its intended purpose, where the GBV SC is meant to coordinate during emergencies according to interagency guidelines. This can be a challenge in Afghanistan, which is in a chronic state of humanitarian emergency and the distinction between humanitarian and development work on GBV can be unclear. However, EVAW sector stakeholders clarified that while the GBV SC is a useful platform for its intended purpose, it does not provide an opportunity for donor coordination in the EVAW sector. There are informal coordination mechanisms among gender stakeholders, but they are heavily based on contacts and driven by coordination between individuals, and gaps can occur.

Stakeholders noted that ideally MoWA would play a role in facilitating effective EVAW sector coordination, but at present they have not taken an active role in this regard. Stakeholders and partners noted that DFAT is active and engaged in the various platforms for coordinating activities, and the need for a coordination mechanism specifically for donors specifically on VAW was noted, rather than this being a component of wider gender

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coordination activities. Furthermore, such coordination would enable donors to ensure that programming is covering key gaps, such as those noted regarding service provision through WPCs and WPC capacity building, and ensuring linkages between programming such as support to health sector GBV responses and other stakeholders such as the police, justice sector, and women’s protection services.

At the implementation level and based on interviews with provincial entities, there are harmonized EVAW activities between DoWA, MoI, AIHRC and provincial CSOs that run shelters. Similarly, though subnational stakeholders noted receiving training and support through other programming, limited overlap with DFAT EVAW program activities was noted. There were issues in covering more remote districts that requires the attention of partners to harmonize interventions in those areas and maximize collective reach of programming across the entire EVAW sector.

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4. Conclusion

Though considerable advances have been made, VAW is still pervasive and continues to be a major issue facing Afghanistan, with serious social, economic, political, and security for Afghan women, their families, society, and the country as a whole. The importance of addressing VAW in Afghanistan cannot be understated. Violence against women and girls is not only a consequence of gender inequality, but reinforces women’s low status in society and disparities between women and men.21 Violence diminishes women’s and girls’ ability to gain an education, earn a living and participate in public life, and has significant health impacts. It furthermore has repercussions that extend beyond the present abuse and into the future through the life cycle of violence. The experience of witnessing or living with violence against a mother or female care-giver has been shown to have impacts on children and young people that are indistinguishable from those of direct violence, and exposes them to relationship models that can influence their own behavior and limit their capacity to imagine alternatives.22

What’s more, there are gendered dimensions of war and peace,23 and the reduction of VAW is intrinsically linked to the reduction of violence at the social and state levels. Over the past decade, research has emerged examining the link between women and security, particularly through the lens of gender equality and inter- and intra-state conflict. One study found that the oppression of women is a template for other types of oppression, such as authoritarianism.24 Another study found that countries with exaggerated gender inequality experience higher levels of societal instability and lower prospects for both peace and democracy.25 In another study on gender, conflict and security, the physical security of women was found to be strongly associated with the peacefulness of the state, the degree to which the state is of concern to the international community, and the quality of relations between the state and its neighbors. The results of this study found that if one were to pick one variable between level of democracy, level of wealth, prevalence of Islamic culture, or the physical security of women to predict the least peaceful state of most concern to the international community and with the worst relations with their neighboring states, the physical security of women is the most reliable.26

There have been considerable investments in the EVAW sector in Afghanistan, to which DFAT has provided critical support, which this evaluation has found to be overall effective and contributing towards the collective increased capacity of service providers and government institutions to effectively respond to VAW while also supporting the transformation of social norms in support of more positive gender role attitudes that contribute to the reduction of VAW. At the midterm stage, this review concludes that the program has made considerable progress to date, and is demonstrating progress towards the overall goal of a sustained reduction in VAW

In Afghanistan, particularly in coordination with other development partners and in consideration of wider programming and support to the EVAW sector.

Overall, the theory of change is generally robust and the underlying assumptions were largely validated by the findings of this review, though the anticipated increased utilization of services in tandem with their improved quality and availability will also require considerable shifts in social norms and cultural context that further promote positive gender role attitudes and condemn VAW. Taken as a whole, the program comprises a range of mutually reinforcing activities that constitute a holistic approach to combating VAW at all levels, from grassroots and traditional actors engaged to the structural, social, and institutional levels in Afghanistan.

However, the midterm review also found some key gaps and a need to realign and refine the PAF to ensure that activities are consistent with the intermediate outcomes and planned outcomes of the program, and that this

21 UN General Assembly, 2006. 22 Lara Fergus, “Prevention of violence against women and girls,” UN Women, 2012, http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/CSW/57/EGM/cs557-EGM-prevention-background-paper%20pdf.pdf. 23 Cilja Harders, “Gender Relations, Violence and Conflict Transformation,” Berghof Foundation, n.g., http://www.berghof -

foundation.org/fileadmin/redaktion/Publications/Handbook/Articles/harders_handbook.pdf. 24 Mary Caprioli, Valerie M. Hudson, S. Matthew Stearmer, Rose McDermott, Chad Emmett, and Bonnie Balilif -Spanvill,, “Walking a Fine Line: Addressing Issues of Gender with WomanStats,” Paper presented at the annual International Studies Asosciation Conference, 28 February to 3 March, 2007, Chicago,

Illinois, http://www.womanstats.org/images/ISA2007WomanStats.pdf. 25 Ibid. 26 Valerie M. Hudson, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Mary Caprioli, and Chad F. Emmett, Sex and World Peace, Columbia University Press, 2012.

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progress is documented, monitored and reviewed on a consistent basis. The present monitoring system and PAF are heavily activity- and output-focused, and particularly as the program moves further towards the endline stage, it is critical to shift this focus from implementation to a results-based approach that captures the information necessary to assess impacts and contributions at the outcome level. This will support the identification of the areas of greatest potential for continuance and scaling up of specific activities beyond the life of the current DFAT EVAW program, with the findings of this review providing a formative basis.

In terms of sustainability, the program is limited in terms of a feasible exit strategy. Though the program has been effectively coordinated with key government stakeholders, it is critical that in the next stage of programming, further efforts are focused on facilitating buy-in from government stakeholders and promoting ownership. The current nature of off-budget support and considerable level of EVAW sector activities being undertaken outside of government institutions and with dependence on continued support will present further challenges to the sustainability of programming in the long-term. The program is similarly well-coordinated with other development partners and programming, though there are opportunities for more strategic and targeted coordination specifically related to EVAW among development partners that could further support the coherence of all programming in the EVAW sector and the identification and addressing of key gaps.

The elimination of VAW in Afghanistan requires sustained and considerable ongoing financial, technical, and political support. The contributions of development partners, international organizations, and Afghan civil society in this area are currently indispensable, where the government of Afghanistan is currently not in the position to deliver key services to survivors of VAW. The elimination of VAW is critical not only for women, but also for Afghan society and the peacefulness and stability of Afghanistan. The DFAT EVAW program is making important contributions in this regard, which should be sustained and continued over the long-term, with enduring support required to see the actualization of ending violence against women in Afghanistan.

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Annex A: Evaluation Matrix

Criteria Evaluation questions Data methods Focus

Effectiveness

Are output targets demonstrating progress towards collective EVAW Program outcomes as expected?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

User perceptions and experiences in engaging with institutions, sectors and services supported through the program, as a particular focus of interviews with intended beneficiaries

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

The activities that have been undertaken, how these have been determined and why

Progress to date, and the extent to which this progress is contributing to the achievement of program outcomes

What activities have been more/less effective and why?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

User perceptions and experiences in engaging with institutions, sectors and services supported through the program, as a particular focus of interviews with intended beneficiaries

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

Alignment of activities with program objectives

Enablers and barriers to achievement

Which beneficiaries have benefitted most/least from the program (both intended and unintended beneficiaries)?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

Satisfaction of direct indirect program beneficiaries (intended and unintended) with the results

Reach of program

To what extent are the outcomes mutually reinforcing and is the program working effectively as a whole?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Modified stakeholder analysis

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

CI framework (common agenda, continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities, backbone function)

Is the theory of change robust and are there any

A Strategic Learning Debrief to review the program’s theory of change to check for alignment of activities and

The desired effects

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Criteria Evaluation questions Data methods Focus

gaps? direction with intended goals, particularly in the context of progress and learning within the program to date.

Individual and group interviews

The underlying theory of change

Underlying assumptions

Updated contextual analysis to assess the relevance and and context-appropriateness of the theory of change

How effective is policy engagement (by DFAT and in collaboration with other donors) in influencing policy change in the sector in ways which support program outcomes?

Analysis of a small sample of policy changes suggested by stakeholders to review to what extent they have been influenced by the work of the EVAW program and its stakeholders

Individual and group interviews

The policy initiatives the research has promoted/supported

Uptake and outcomes in policy

How has the Do No Harm principle been applied in the program?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

Unintended consequences

Safeguards and measures in place to prevent anticipated potential negative outcomes

Has the program had any unintended consequences that have caused harm?

Efficiency

Are the governance and management arrangements efficient and effective?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

CI framework (common agenda, continuous communication, mutually reinforcing activities, backbone function)

Linkages and coordination frameworks

Is the Core Steering Group operating effectively? What mechanisms could be easily implemented to strengthen it?

Is engagement, coordination and dialogue (formal and informal structures) between implementing partners and other key sector stakeholders effective at provincial and national level?

To what extent is the program harmonized with other donor and government activities in terms of policy engagement, program scope and implementation arrangements?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

A comprehensive desk research of existing resources and research related to the EVAW sector in Afghanistan, as well as relevant policies and law including NAPWA, NPPs, the EVAW Law

Context-appropriateness

Changes in context and operating framework since program inception

Function of activities as capacity building and supporting institutional development in line with national and international frameworks (for example, CEDAW, AMDGs, NPPs, and NAPWA)

Complementarity of program to other donor-supported funding mechanisms such as the ARTF and the EVAW Special Fund

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Criteria Evaluation questions Data methods Focus

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

Complementarity of program to on-budget government programming

Monitoring and Evaluation

How robust is the M&E system and data collected (at the whole-of-program and individual partner level)? What are the gaps?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Evaluation of a small sample of secondary-level IPs’ reporting (where relevant), which will be randomly selected from the reports provided to the review team

Individual and group interviews

CI framework (shared measurement system, backbone function)

Capacity of secondary-level IPs in terms of monitoring and reporting

Verification mechanisms

How can the PAF and investment M&E framework be better aligned?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

Capacity of M&E frameworks and data collection tools to capture outcomes in addition to outputs

Capacity of partners to rigorously collect, collate, and analyze results-based monitoring data

To what extent is data being used to inform decision-making, including monitoring data and Rapid Review recommendations?

Utility of data to inform IPs’ program monitoring and decision-making

Uptake of recommendations by IPs and DFAT

Extent to which reporting reflects learning, and influences program revisions by IPs and DFAT

Sustainability

To what extent is the program contributing to behavior change and policy change by the Afghan Government and beneficiaries?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Analysis of a small sample of policy changes suggested by stakeholders to review to what extent they have been influenced by the work of the EVAW program and its stakeholders

Strategic Learning Debrief

User perceptions and experiences in engaging with institutions, sectors and services supported through the program, as a particular focus of interviews with intended beneficiaries

Individual and group interviews

Uptake and buy-in from GIRoA actors (focus on key stakeholders including AIHRC, MoWA, MoJ, AGO, and MoI)

Extent to which changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practice among key EVAW sector actors are evident in terms of case registration, prosecution, protection, and other relevant services

Extent to which changes in awareness and utilization among users are evident in terms of case registration, prosecution, protection, and other relevant services

To what extent is there government buy-in and institutionalization of changes achieved through the program?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Analysis of a small sample of policy changes suggested

Extent to which changes are supported by government policies and on-budget funding that supports long-term EVAW objectives

Extent to which changes are supported by policy commitments of the international community and donor policies and programs, and agreements with the GIRoA (such as the Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework (SMAF))

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Criteria Evaluation questions Data methods Focus

by stakeholders to review to what extent they have been influenced by the work of the EVAW program and its stakeholders

Individual and group interviews

What evidence is there that these changes will be sustained beyond the life of the program?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

A comprehensive desk research of existing resources and research related to the EVAW sector in Afghanistan, as well as relevant policies and law including NAPWA, NPPs, the EVAW Law

Individual and group interviews

Extent to which changes are supported by government policies and on-budget funding that supports long-term EVAW objectives

Extent to which changes are supported by funding from the international community and donor policies and programs

Means of delivering capacity building an institutional development support and how potential risks such as turnover, mandate revision, etc. could impact sustainability

What evidence is there that improvements to NGO capacity will be sustainable beyond the duration of the program?

Program document reviews, including: design documents; performance assessment framework; aid quality checks; rapid management review; work plans; IP reporting; IP reviews/evaluations

Strategic Learning Debrief

Individual and group interviews

Capacity of IPs and secondary-level IPs in terms of programming, advocacy, coordination, and institutional development

Extent to which long-term EVAW objectives have been incorporated into the culture and planning within NGO partners and NGO partner networks

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Annex B: Performance Assessment Framework – available on request

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Annex C: Collective Impact Framework

Adapted from Guide to Evaluating Collective Impact: Assessing Progress and Impact – Sample Early Performance Indicators of Effective Design and

Implementation

CI Element Indicators Findings of the Midterm Review

Common Agenda

The development of the common agenda has included a diverse set of voices and perspectives from multiple sectors, including members of the target population.

At present, the agenda is largely driven by the priorities of the DFAT EVAW program implementing partners. Though the activities were found to be largely determined based on evidence, there is a need for further incorporation of consumer perspectives in shaping the overall agenda of the program.

Partners and the broader community understand and can articulate the problem

There was a clear understanding and articulation of the problems in by DFAT and program implementing partners, but there was less clear understanding among wider stakeholders and target groups, particularly some government institutions.

Geographical boundaries and population targets are clear for all partners

The geographic coordination of activities is strong, and the review of activities at the provincial level in CSG meetings ensures that targets in terms of geography and stakeholders are clear for all partners.

Partners use data (qualitative and quantitative) to inform the selection of strategies and actions)

The review found that activities were generally evidence-based at their inception, but the ongoing use of monitoring data to inform the evolution of strategies and implementation of activities is limited.

Backbone Infrastructure

(BBI)

The CSG includes a diverse set of voices and perspectives from multiple, relevant sectors and constituencies

The CSG includes voices from direct implementers of the DFAT EVAW program, but currently does not provide a platform for the consideration of perspectives from local partners and consumers of the services and support provided through the program.

Backbone staff are respected by important partners and external stakeholders

Generally, positive coordination was noted between DFAT as the BBI for the program and implementing partners. However, some limitations were noted in terms of timeliness of response and provision of information from the partners to DFAT and effective inputs and ownership from partners.

Partners look to the BBI and CSG for initiative support, strategic guidance, and leadership

The effective support from DFAT to partners was apparent, with the flexibility afforded recognized as a key component facilitating the utilization of DFAT for strategic guidance and support from partners.

BBI provides project management support, including monitoring progress toward goals and connecting partners to discuss challenges, opportunities, gaps, and overlaps

Generally, the support and management provided from DFT in terms of monitoring progress towards goals was found to have considerable limitations, compounded by a PAF in need of revision and an absence of a uniform monitoring template. Furthermore, the focus on activities in coordination platforms and a lack of discussion and consideration at the outcome level was noted. However, management and support in terms of connecting partners to discuss challenges, opportunities, gaps, and overlaps was found to be sufficient and effective.

BBI convenes partners and key external stakeholders to ensure the alignment of activities and pursue new opportunities

At present, external stakeholders are not convened or consulted by the BBI related to the program.

The CSG regularly reviews data on progress toward goals Data is reviewed at the output level, but there is inadequate collection or review of data in terms

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and uses it to inform strategic decision making of progress, which limits the strategic decision making capacity of the program.

Shared Measurement System (SMS)

Partners understand the value of the shared measurement system

At present, partners clearly understand the value of a shared measurement system, but have been unable to coordinate effectively in terms of monitoring and the collection of data to facilitate it.

Partners understand how they will participate in the shared measurement system

There were considerable limitations observed between the indicators in the PAF—which is the SMS for the program—and the data being collected by partners in their individual monitoring systems and frameworks.

A participatory process is used to determine a common set of indicators and data collection methods

The PAF is in need of realignment, particularly with the addition of AWN and AIHRC activities in phase two of the program.

Partners agree to a data sharing agreement that supports ongoing collaboration

Partners demonstrated openness and willingness to share materials. However, there was less data sharing beyond activities and outputs, with limited willingness to even share this information with the review team.

The system includes a common set of indicators and data collection methods that can provide timely evidence of (a lack of) progress toward the CI initiative’s outcomes

The PAF shares a common set of indicators, but there is no data collection plan clearly specifying how, when and by whom data should be collected.

Partners know how to use the SMS, and commit to collecting the data as defined in the data plan

Partners contribute high-quality data on a common set of indicators in a timely and consistent manner

Due to inconsistencies between individual partners’ monitoring systems and the PAF, and in the absence of a data collection plan, some partners are collecting more quality data than others, and timeliness and consistency is lacking.

Mutually Reinforcing Activities

An action plan clearly specifies the activities that different partners have committed to implementing

Partners coordinate on a geographic and stakeholder level and in terms of addressing duplication, but currently do not share an overall action plan. Some noted that a shared action plan would further promote the coherence of the program and allow for more considered coordination at a strategic level.

Partners’ activities change to better align with the action plan

DFAT and the program implementing partners demonstrated considerable flexibility, adaptiveness, and responsiveness in terms of changing activities to avoid duplication among partners and across the wider EVAW sector as well as in response to changing context.

Continuous Communication

Working groups (or other collaborative structures) have regular meetings

The CSG meets semi-annually, which was found to be the most appropriate frequency striking a balance between the need for regular meeting and coordination and the multiple commitments and availability of partner organizations.

Members of working groups or other collaborative structures attend and participate actively in meetings

Partners are generally consistent in attending and participating in CSG meetings, but have not taken an active interest in shaping their agenda.

Partners communicate and coordinate efforts regularly (with and independently of backbone staff)

Considerable coordination was noted among partners, both through the CSG and facilitated by DFAT as well as outside of the DFAT EVAW program platforms. However, advocacy efforts from AWN could be better coordinated with larger ongoing initiatives of other partners.

The CI initiative engages external stakeholders in regular meetings and integrates their feedback into the overall strategy

Partners independently coordinate with key government stakeholders, and the review found this coordination to be generally adequate and effective at the central level, with less effectiveness at the provincial level. Feedback is generally considered and adequately integrated into overall strategies, with notable support from DFAT in this regard.

Initiative Capacity

Sufficient operating support is available to enable the initiative’s backbone infrastructure to fulfil its responsibilities

There are considerable challenges in the management structure of the program, particularly with the remote support to the program provided from Canberra. In consideration of the context and these challenges, as well as challenges related to security and access and independent monitoring and verification of the program, operating support is generally effective. However, there are considerable needs for more targeted technical support among specific partners.

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CI initiative has influencers and champions that command the respect of a broader set of stakeholders and can bring stakeholders to the table

DFAT is active and engaged in the wider EVAW sector, and the partners hold key positions in other sector-related platforms, including the GBV SC and EVAW SF. However, there are no standout influencers or champions from the government stakeholder side for the program.

CI initiative has supporters who can champion the strategy with the broader community

There is considerable evidence that activities have found supporters to champion the strategy at the community level. Other target groups at the community level including teachers, community members, and civil society activists have been effectively engaged.

Leadership of the CI initiative comes from multiple sectors that are able to shift both public and private funds

At present, all funds related to the program are private, and there has been limited interest from those targeted by the CI initiative to utilize their position and influence to support activities through the use of public resources.

Learning Culture

Learning structures and processes are embedded in the work of the CI initiative

To date, the program has facilitated learning through the CSG, but this has largely been focused on coordination and awareness raising on EVAW sector activities. There has been less focus in terms of reviewing and reassessing the ToC, underlying assumptions, and learning regarding the contribution of activities and the overall strategy towards achieving the program goal.

Decision-making processes are open and transparent Decision-making processes were found to be open and transparent.

Partners feel included in major decision-making processes Partners felt adequately consulted, involved, and included in decision-making processes regarding the program.

Partners regularly seek feedback and advice from one another

Though partners coordinate and share resources, it was less apparent that the strengths and experiences of other partners are used as a source for feedback and advice among partners.

Partners trust each other A considerable amount of trust was observed among partners.

People of different cultures and backgrounds feel respected and heard within the CI initiative

Though there were differing opinions among partners on some key issues, both from strategic and administrative perspectives, considerable respect was observed and all partners were allowed to express their opinions and perspectives within the collective group.

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Annex D: List of Interviews Conducted

Interview Stakeholder Participants Date

Strategic Learning Debrief

Afghan Women’s Network Executive Director and Acting Program Manager

18 January 2016

The Asia Foundation WEP Program Manager 18 January 2016

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

Gender Coordinator 18 January 2016

UN Population Fund Program Officer and Program Associate

18 January 2016

UN Women Deputy Manager for EVAW Pillar

18 January 2016

DFAT

Second Secretary (Development) and Development Officer (Kabul) and Gender Program Officer (Canberra)

18 January 2016

DFAT EVAW program implementing partners

Local Partners of DFAT Implementing Partners

UN Women Deputy Manager for EVAW Pillar

19 January 2016

UN Population Fund Program Officer and Program Associate

19 January 2016

The Asia Foundation

WEP Program Manager, 2 WEP Program Officers, M&E Officer, and WEP Project Manager

19 January 2016

The Asia Foundation 24 provincial-level M&E Focal Points

20 January 2016

Afghan Women’s Network

Acting Program Manager, Capacity Building Manager, Finance Manager, Advocacy Officer

21 January 2016

Afghan Women’s Network 7 provincial-level Focal Points and Administrative and Finance Officers

19 January 2016

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

Executive Director 20 January 2016

Afghanistan National Participation Organization (ANPO)

Director and Project Officer

20 January 2016

Afghan Women’s Rights Master Trainer, Project 20 January 2016

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Interview Stakeholder Participants Date

Organization (AWRO) Officer, and M&E Assistant

Equality for Peace and Democracy (EPD)

Executive Director and Project Manager

20 January 2016

Better Afghanistan Organization for Peace and Human Rights (BAOPHR)

M&E Officer and Project Manager

20 January 2016

Reconstruction, Health and Humanitarian Assistance Committee (HEWAD)

Program Manager, Program Officer, and GBV Training Coordinator

20 January 2016

Women for Afghan Women (WAW)

Afghanistan Country Director

25 January 2016

Afghan Women Skills Development Center (AWSDC)

Director 25 January 2016

Shelter A WPC Manager 23 January 2016

Shelter B WPC Manager 23 January 2016

GIRoA Stakeholders

Ministry of Women’s Affairs – Women’s Protection Directorate

Director 24 January 2016

Ministry of Women’s Affairs – Legal Department

Director 24 January 2016

Ministry of Justice – Education Department

Director of Policy, Planning, and Foreign Affairs; Training and Capacity Building Manager; Gender Focal Point

24 January 2016

Ministry of Interior – Department of Human Rights, Gender and Children

Deputy Director 24 January 2016

Police Academy Capacity Building Manager

20 January 2016

Ministry of Interior - Family Response Unit

Director 21 January 2016

Attorney General’s Office Advisor to the Attorney General

26 January 2016

Telephone interviews with GIRoA Provincial and Regional Offices

Attorney General’s Office - Farah

Director 23 January 2016

Attorney General’s Office - Nangarhar

Director 23 January 2016

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Interview Stakeholder Participants Date

AIHRC – Herat Director 23 January 2016

Department of Women’s Affairs - Balkh

Director 23 January 2016

Department of Women’s Affairs - Herat

Director 23 January 2016

Department of Women’s Affairs - Kabul

Director 23 January 2016

Department of Women’s Affairs - Nangarhar

Director 23 January 2016

Department of Interior - Bamyan

Gender and Human Rights Department

23 January 2016

Department of Interior - Nangarhar

Gender and Human Rights Department

23 January 2016

Program Participants and Consumers

Young Women’s Leadership Program participants

19 YWLP participants 21 January 2016

Shelter A 6 shelter residents 25 January 2016

Shelter B 6 shelter residents 25 January 2016

EVAW Development Partner Stakeholders

United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)

Senior Social Development Adviser, Asia Region and Afghanistan

22 January 2016

US Embassy Kabul

Human Rights and Rule of Law Chief; Justice Advisor – Gender Programs

International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)

25 January 2016

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (in capacity as coordinating agency of GBV Sub-Cluster)

Deputy Country Representative

26 January 2016

Swiss Cooperation Office in Afghanistan (SCOA) (via email)

Programme Manager and National Program Officer

29 January 2016

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Annex E: EVAW Sector Stakeholder Identification Exercise

Purpose: To identify key stakeholders related to the EVAW sector in Afghanistan to inform the data collection plan for the midterm review of the DFAT Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Program in Afghanistan and to inform the analysis in the review

Stakeholder Interest

Name Interest the stakeholder has in the policy, or the advantages and disadvantages that implementation of the policy may bring to the stakeholder or his or her organization

International Agencies/Donors

UN Women Administer EVAW SF; UN Women’s support works to address violence against women (VAW) from both the protection and the prevention angles. The agency has provided much needed technical and financial support to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and civil society in: management and operation of 13 Women Protection Centers and 2 Family Guidance Centers; advocacy and awareness raising to promote VAW prevention; operation of the provincial Elimination of Violence Against Women Commissions and Resource Centers, and; training of and coordination between stakeholders concerning legal reform. UN Women also has a tripartite agreement with UNFPA and WHO to develop a gender-based violence (GBV) referral system, linking services and providers to GBV survivors.

UNAMA UNAMA does regular research and monitoring on the implementation of the EVAW Law, such as the "A Long Way to Go" report and the report on the implementation of mediation services for cases of VAW.

UNFPA UNFPA chairs the GBV-SC; UNFPA developed the manual for briefing police officers on eliminating VAW, trains police recruits, supports the establishment of prevention and responsive services to support survivors of GBV, training on data collection for prevention and response to health staff, training judges, prosecutors and health staff, supports FRUs, and conducts public education campaigns

UNDP The UNDP Gender Equality Project II (GEP-II) project focuses on three major issues that Afghan women face: lack of or weak support provided to women’s rights through policies and legal documents; feeble participation of women in the economic activities; and limited access to justice and human rights systems due to the weakness of the judicial system.

IDLO Since 2001, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) has been working as a leading partner of the Afghan government in justice and legal reform. It has supported the development of the Legal Aid Organization of Afghanistan (LAOA), the Violence Against Women (VAW) Units within the Office of the Attorney General and the Independent National Legal Training Center (INLTC), and has contributed to capacity building for thousands of legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, members of parliament, civil servants and academics. Afghanistan became a Member Party to IDLO in November 2012. In November 2009, the Attorney General of Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IDLO to establish a specialized unit to prosecute cases of violence against women under the 2009 Elimination of Violence Against Women Law (LEVAW).

WHO WHO, in collaboration with UN Women, provided technical support to the MoPH in the development of Afghanistan’s first GBV Treatment Protocol for health care providers in 2014. Who also developed training modules for healthcare providers on the GBV Treatment Protocol, translated the clinical handbook for health care providers into Dari and Pashto, conducted a readiness assessment on the health facility and provider capacity to provide GBV services, and is training healthcare providers in the use of the GBV Treatment Protocol.

EUPOL EUPOL works in EVAW issues in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, the Afghan National Police, the Attorney General's Office and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. The provide mentoring/support to Family Response Units and the EVAW Unit of the Attorney General's Office. EUPOL is supporting the establishment of the Office of the Police Ombudsman and the Department of Human Rights and Gender. EUPOL has also developed a human rights booklet and an accompanying training package that can be used by international and Afghan trainers to train the police on basic human rights.

USAID/US Embassy/INL USAID/US Embassy have supported a number of programs and initiatives related to EVAW. USAID

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funded the development of GBV Treatment Protocol with WHO and UN Women, and supported EVAW initiatives through ASGP, MORE, etc. The US Embassy also funds WPCs, transitional shelters and halfway houses

DFATD (Canada) In recent years, Canada has led the dialogue on human rights and the elimination of violence against women, which was in line with its strategic focus. A key focus is the enhanced effectiveness of human rights and civil society organizations to promote human rights and investigate and act on human rights violations, especially those against women and girls.

European Union Since 2010 the EU has supported 28 projects in Afghanistan, including: legal aid and psychological counselling; centers for victims of family violence; women/government cooperation to develop ways to eliminate violence against women; and promotion of men and women working together as catalysts for women's rights.

Colombo Plan INL provides support for protection services through the Afghan Women’s Shelter Fund which is managed by the Colombo Plan. Currently the Colombo Plan has granted an extension to the Afghan Women’s Shelter Fund until 2017 and will focus on capacity development within shelter service providers. This will include improving Monitoring and Evaluation, conducting financial audits and drawing up individual capacity development plans for each of the shelters. The Colombo Plan is seeking support from other countries to support this initiative as currently INL is the only donor provider to the Afghan Women’s Shelter Fund.

ARTF Gender Working Group

The ARTF Gender Working Group was established in December 2012 as a sub-group to the ARTF Strategy Group. The Gender Working Group is chaired by the World Bank and consists of interested Strategy Group members. The GWG meets in Kabul at the technical level and reports to the Strategy Group. The Gender Working Group is supported by the World Bank’s gender team in Kabul.

Criminal Law Reform Working Group (CLRWG)

The CLRWG is a mechanism agreed between the international community and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, as represented by the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Justice. The purpose of the CLRWG is to provide a mechanism for the international community and Government of Afghanistan to jointly review draft legislation relating to criminal justice issues. The CLRWG focuses largely on ensuring that draft legislation complies with obligations under international law and with international norms and best practices.

GBV Sub-Cluster The Afghanistan Gender-based Violence Sub-Cluster (GBV S-C) was established as a national coordinating body to strengthen and enhance the efforts and activities of stakeholders in the country, in the prevention of and response to gender-based violence.

Gender Donor Coordination Group (GDCG)

The GDCG is a mechanism that was organized in 2004 through the Embassy of Denmark to Afghanistan and UNIFEM (now UN Women) to coordinate the work of donors on gender issues and serve as a forum for the discussion of gender concerns in the country; chaired by UN Women

EVAW Special Fund The EVAW SF is administered by UN Women to support community-based response mechanisms and capacities to address VAW. The EVAW SF was established in August 2007 and became operational in October 2007. With a central focus on strengthening the capacity of CSOs, it focused on three key areas of intervention: protection services, reintegration and psychosocial support; lobbying, advocacy and awareness-raising; and legal aid and access to justice.

UNHCR UNHCR is an EVAW SF donor. UNHCR also works on issues of VAW and displacement in Afghanistan.

DFAT (Australia) DFAT is a EVAW SF donor and funds the Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) program.

DFID (UK) DFID is an EVAW SF donor, provides funding to the TAF project Strengthened Access to Justice for Women program, and also supports the "What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls" initiative, which supports research globally, including Afghanistan.

FDFA Switzerland FDFA Switzerland is an EVAW SF donor.

Government of Korea The Korean government is an EVAW SF donor

Government of Sweden The Swedish government is an EVAW SF donor. The ability of women and girls to enjoy their human rights is at the center of the Swedish strategy and special priority is given to support for 1) women’s participation and influence; 2) sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and 3) measures to prevent gender-based violence (GBV).

Government of Denmark The Danish government was an EVAW SF donor until 2013. They also fund the "Strengthening Response to Violence Against Women (VAW) in Afghanistan" project 2015-2017.

Italian Development Cooperation

IDCO is an EVAW SF donor. Through its collaboration with Italian and Afghan NGOs, Italian Development Cooperation has been involved in combating violence against women, improving their socio-economic condition and reproductive health through the reinforcement of community mechanisms of social protection, and improving the access to justice for victims of violence.

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Government of Norway The Norwegian government is an EVAW SF donor.

Government of the Netherlands

The Dutch government is an EVAW SF donor. They also provide funding to AWN, supported a drive to recruit more female police in MoI, and funded a project to strengthen the relationship between FRUs and health-care providers.

Government of Japan The Japanese government is an EVAW SF donor. Additionally, the success of the police training in the DFAT EVAW program led to a further request by MoI to expand the training into the 17 provinces so far not covered through this program. Following the DFAT funding, the Government of Japan provided funding to 7 other provinces (in Herat, Farah, Balkh, Badghis, Ghor, Faryab and Jawzjan) increasing the project coverage to 17 provinces.

GIRoA

Ministry of Interior The Afghan Ministry of Interior is mandated with providing security for all Afghan citizens and protecting the Afghan borders. It is a home affairs Ministry and the enforcement of law and order is it absolute duty. The Ministry of Interior includes the Afghan National Police (ANP), who have an important role regarding VAW, in line with their mandate.

MoI Gender Unit The Gender Unit of MoI was established in 2008, and in 2009 was embedded into the Human Rights Department.

MoI FRUs Family Response Units (FRUs) were established in 2006 for addressing family violence, children in trouble, and female victims of crime. They are a unit of the Afghan National Police (ANP).

National Police Academy The National Police Academy is responsible for police training, and currently uses the curriculum "Police Taking Action on Violence against Women in Afghanistan" to train police at the national and provincial level to combat GBV.

Ministry of Women's Affairs MoWA has the responsibility over implementation of political and social policy of the government in order to secure and expand legal rights of women and ensure the rule of law in their lives within its activity area.

MoWA Women's Protection Directorate

Women’s Protection Centers (WPCs) in Afghanistan act in accordance with the regulations and guidelines of the MoWA. The MoWA Women's Protection Directorate is responsible for motoring legal and protection initiatives related to EVAW.

MoWA Legal Department The MoWA Legal Department provides a referral service to support female victims of violence.

Ministry of Justice The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is the central institution in the executive branch of Afghanistan’s government for upholding the rule of law. The MoJ functions in a number of areas, including policy formulation, regulation, performance-monitoring, supervision and coordination, as well as in delivering legal services and support to others in the government and the public. MoJ is ultimately responsible for prosecuting cases according to the EVAW Law.

MoJ Human Rights Support Unit

The MoJ HRSU is mandated with improving the capacity of line ministries to fulfill their international human rights obligations by reviewing national laws, policies, and strategies ,monitoring the implementation of treaties, and training government officials. The MoJ HRSU has also previously undertaken an assessment of gender capacity in the ministries.

Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs

The Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs is the key ministry responsible for addressing religious affairs in Afghanistan. MoHRA has a key role in combating VAW through Islamic perspectives, including the training of Ulema and disseminating messaging promoting gender equality through religion.

Attorney General's Office The Attorney General's Office (AGO) serve all of the people of Afghanistan, without discrimination, by defending the people’s right to safety and security, and ensuring fairness, impartiality, and justice when investigating and prosecuting criminality. AGO also monitors the implementation of laws in order to promote peace and prosperity through the rule of law, and to enhance the quality of life of the Afghan people.

AGO Special EVAW Unit The Special Violence Against Women Unit of the Attorney General’s Office was established in 2010 to investigate and prosecute cases of VAW and to support and assist victims. The VAW Unit was integrated into the tashkeel of the AGO in 2010 and can accept cases from anywhere in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

The AIHRC is enshrined as a national human rights institution under Article 58 of the Constitution: “To monitor respect for human rights in Afghanistan as well as to foster and protect it, the state shall establish the Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan. Every individual shall complain to this Commission about the violation of personal human rights. The Commission shall refer human rights violations of individuals to legal authorities and assist them in defense of their rights.” Women can go to the AIHRC with issues of VAW, which are a human rights issue. The AIHRC documents cases and helps women to get legal support. They publish an annual report on VAW to highlight the issue and need for legal support and protection.

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Shelter Coordination Committee (MoWA, MoJ, MoPH, EVAW Commissions, AIHRC, Attorney General’s Office and the CSOs that run the WPCs)

The Shelter Coordination Committee is a coordination platform for organizations and stakeholders related to shelters for survivors of VAW.

Ministry of Public Health The MoPH is responsible for the public health sector responsiveness to GBV. They developed the GBV Treatment Protocol with guidelines on how health care professionals can provide quality care for GBV survivors, including sections on survivor-centered care, managing rape cases, wounds and burns, and collecting medico-legal evidence.

Family Protection Centers (FPCs)

FPCs are located in healthcare facilities, specifically provincial and regional hospitals, as a safe one stop center that women and their families can access to address VAW. The FPCs provide a wide range of services including psycho-social counselling, basic legal assistance and referrals services. The FPC consists of a doctor, legal adviser and a psychosocial counsellor. A working group consisting of representatives from key stakeholders such as MoJ, Attorney General’s Office, WPCs, AIHRC and the focal points are attached to the FPC. The doctor is responsible for referrals as well as to gather forensic evidence, along with provision of treatment. A checklist is provided to all focal points to allow them to refer as well as follow proper procedure in dealing with cases of GBV survivors. The FPC’s bring in a consolidated health sector response that seeks to improve medical aid, forensic services, legal services and psychosocial support by engaging with a wide range of partners.

EVAW Commissions (and Secretariat)

EVAW Commissions are charged with developing, implementing, and monitoring an EVAW plan of action under the guidance of the MoWA. The commissions are composed of 13 members representing diverse elements of the GIRoA.

Ministry of Finance Ongoing Gender Responsive Budgeting reform and Gender Unit; responsible for reviewing BC1 and BC2 submissions from line ministries and aligning actual budget with objectives such as those from NAPWA and NPPs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Directorate of Human Rights and Women's International Affairs (DHRWIA) responsible for reporting on National Action Plan on 1325

Political

Parliament The National Assembly is the highest legislative organ in Afghanistan. Its duties include: Ratification, modification or abrogation of laws or legislative decrees; Approval of social, cultural, economic as well as technological development programs; Approval of the state budget as well as permission to obtain or grant loans; Creation, modification and or abrogation of administrative units; Ratification of international treaties and agreements, or abrogation of membership of Afghanistan in them; Other authorities enshrined in this Constitution.

Provincial Councils The 34 Provincial Councils, one for each province, range from nine to 29 members, depending on population. The councilors’ primary responsibilities are to ensure that citizen’s views are reflected in provincial development planning; to monitor and evaluate development programs; to manage conflicts among tribes, villages and districts; and to oversee provincial development spending.

President The President is the head of state of the GIRoA, and conducts their authorities in executive, legislative, and judiciary branches in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Among other things, the President implements the Constitution, determines state policies, commands Afghanistan’s armed forces, convenes the Loya Jirga, appoints minsters and other various political appointees, appoints members of the Supreme Court, and signs laws and legislative decrees.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

The Chief Executive Officer chairs a weekly meeting of a Ministers' Council which can make policy recommendations to the President. The Chief Executive Officer can also recommend ministers for the Cabinet of Afghanistan.

First Lady The First Lady of Afghanistan has focused on several women’s rights issues in her work in her position as the First Lady of Afghanistan.

Cabinet of Afghanistan The Cabinet of Afghanistan is made of the heads of all the government ministries. The president selects the members of cabinet with the approval of the National Assembly of the country.

Policies/Frameworks/Laws

Constitution The Constitution of Afghanistan contains a number of provisions related to gender equality and VAW, such as Article 54, which states “Family is the fundamental pillar of the society, and shall be protected by the state. The state shall adopt necessary measures to attain the physical and spiritual health of the family, especially of the child and mother, upbringing of children, as well as the elimination of related

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traditions contrary to the principles of the sacred religion of Islam.” It also commits the GIRoA to observe the United Nations Charter, inter-state agreements, as well as international treaties to which Afghanistan has joined, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) Law

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, and specifies punishments for those who commit such acts, and outlines the rights of victims.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. The Afghan government signed the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on 14 August 1980.

Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS)

The Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), formally approved by President Hamid Karzai on April 21, 2008, is the document that outlines the Government of Afghanistan's strategies for security, governance, economic growth and poverty reduction. Started as an interim report in 2005, the ANDS is the product of intensive consultations between the Afghan government and a wide array of stakeholders including tribal and religious leaders, the private sector, NGOs, and the international community. It covered three main areas: security; governance, rule of law, and human rights; and economic and social development.

National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA)

The government developed this 10-year National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA) in 2007. The Action Plan covers the areas of security, governance, rule of law and human rights, as well as economic and social development.

National Priority Programs (NPPs)

The 2010 Kabul Conference was presented with the concept notes of the 22 National Priority Programs (NPPs). The direction was also given by the Conference that these concept notes should be developed into full-fledged program proposals, clearing giving the road map to convert concepts into concrete, implementable and practical plans with costing/budgets. Accordingly, all the concerned ministries started developing these program proposals for NPPs. Each proposal had the objectives/goals of the program as well as its components/sub-components, defines the strategy to achieve these objectives, contains a 3-years implementation plan with timelines, broad activities and outcome/output indicators.

Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF) and Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework (SMAF)

Realizing the need for deepening mutual accountability between the government of Afghanistan and the international community to face the challenges of the Transformation Decade, the Tokyo Conference in July 2012 set out the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF). In December 2014 the GIRoA presented its paper “Realizing Self-Reliance: Commitments to Reforms and Renewed Partnerships”. TMAF and the reform agenda of the government together represent the actions to be taken in the future, and have been consolidated in a single document, the Self-Reliance through Mutual Accountability Framework (SMAF). The SMAF will now guide the government and the international community at least to the end of the term of the present government.

GBV Treatment Protocol and Standard Operating Procedures for Healthcare Sector response to GBV

The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan developed a gender-based violence (GBV) treatment protocol for health care providers in Afghanistan in 2014, and Standard Operating Procedures the healthcare facilities involved in the multi-agency coordination model developed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)

Shelter Regulations The Shelter Regulations were established through the Shelters Commission and the Ministry of National Women’s Affairs.

National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 - Women, Peace and Security (2015-2022)

The Afghanistan National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325 was developed in 2015 to address the challenges women faced in the aftermath of war and conflict in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs chairs the Steering Committee, which has a a central role in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the NAP.

Civil Society Organizations

Coordination Bodies

Afghan Shelter Network The Afghan Shelter Network includes Afghan civil society organizations who are directly managing and implementing shelter activities.

Afghan Women's Advocacy Coalition

The Afghan Women’s Advocacy Coalition (AWAC) was formed in 2010 by a group of 20 civil society organizations in coordination with the Ministry of Women Affairs. The platform was established to coordinate the advocacy grant program. When the grant came to an end, the coalition decreased in size including just two organizations and a number of dedicated individuals. AWAC is managed by volunteers.

Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and

ACBAR is an Afghan independent body bringing together over 120 national and international NGOs working in Afghanistan and abiding by the humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality, impartiality

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Development (ACBAR) and humanity. ACBAR has a gender consultative group.

Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC)

HRRAC is a consortium of 14 national and international organizations that are working in the field of human rights including child rights and women rights, peace building as well as development and humanitarian assistance. HRRAC was formed in early 2003 to engage in proactive research and advocacy on human rights in Afghanistan. They have conducted research related to VAW.

Afghan CSOs

Afghan Women's Educational Center (AWEC)

The Afghan Women’s Educational Center (AWEC) was established in 1991 by a group of educated Afghan women who rallied together to address the lack of facilities for Afghan refugees in the Islamabad/Rawalpindi area. AWEC is committed to promoting human rights and gender equality, working towards the abolishment of any kind of discrimination and violence against women and children through awareness raising and advocacy and through the delivery of social service.

Afghan Women's Network (AWN)

The Afghan Women's Network (AWN) was founded in 1995, serving as a well-established network for the growing number of women's organizations and individual members operating in the country. AWN fulfills the role of a network of organizations, as well as undertaking its own Advocacy function, addressing issues such as gender-based violence, youth empowerment and girl's education.

Afghan Women's Resource Center (AWRC)

AWRC, Afghan Women Resource Center was founded in 1989 by a group of educated Afghan women, in order to stand up for the interests and welfare of Afghan women in refugee camps in Peshawar. AWRC believes that providing economic opportunities is not enough on its own to empower women. The organization strives to eliminate gender discrimination and the violence against women through advocacy. On the ground, AWRC engages in advocacy to sensitize the community towards accepting women’s valuable contribution, as producers and caretakers in the community and families.

Afghan Women's Skills Development Center (AWSDC)

AWSDC is a non profit organization established in 1999 with programming focusing on the needs of Afghan women, including widows and the disabled or chronically ill, and orphan children. The goals of AWSDC are to reduce the suffering of Afghan women and children through promotion of peace and initiation of rehabilitation and development oriented projects reaching the most vulnerable populations in the remote and urban areas of Afghanistan.

Afghan Women's Social and Cultural Organization (AWSCO)

AWSCO was established in 1994 and states its mission as to ‘contribute to the rehabilitation and development of Afghanistan through the planning, designing and undertaking of economic and humanitarian assistance programs, as well as by developing the skills and capacity of Afghan women’. The organization supports a series of projects throughout central and northern Afghanistan that include women’s rights education, health programs, emergency relief, and vocational training.

Afghan Women’s Rights Organization (AWRO)

AWRO has been facilitating community development initiatives since 1996 in Pakistan and 2007 in Afghanistan. Our strategy is to empower the vulnerable sections of the society by building up their capacities through education, health and skill-based development. We are working for the cause of human development focusing on the less privileged sections of the society in the rural & urban areas of the country. AWRO is an implementing partner of the TAF strengthened access to justice project.

Afghanistan Capacity Development Education Organization (ACDEO)

Afghanistan Capacity Development and Educational Organization (ACDEO) is committed to improving the well-being of all Afghans by improving social welfare and promoting a better quality of life. ACDEO works to give women, men and children the opportunity to access justice, counselling and education.

Afghanistan National Participation Organization (ANPO)

Afghanistan National Participation Organization (ANPO) is an independent, non political and not-for-profit organization that was established in 2008 to support cultural, social and civil development in Afghanistan. ANPO is an implementing partner of the TAF strengthened access to justice project.

Assistance to Defend Women's Rights Organization (ADWRO)

The Assistance to Defend Women Rights Organization (ADWRO) works to bring about positive changes in women’s lives in Afghanistan by providing legal awareness, capacity-building and free legal services to women. ADWRO provides legal aid to female victims of violence.

Better Afghanistan Organization for Peace and Human Rights (BAOPHR)

Better Afghanistan Organization for Peace and Human Rights (BAOPHR) is a non-governmental, non-political, independent and non-profit organization which founded in 2008 to promote peace, justice, gender equality and human rights in war ravaged Afghanistan. Since June 2008, BAOPHR implementing projects on promotion of the women rights and gender equality as well as reduction of the discriminatory practices in northern region of Afghanistan. BAOPHR provides legal aid to female victims of violence.

Cooperation Center for Afghanistan (CCA)

Through activities, such as training workshops and seminars, advocacy campaigns, refugee education, human rights monitoring, and rural community development, CCA promotes citizen-based sustainable development, democratic values, pluralism, the rule of law and women’s participation.

Educational and Training Center for Poor Women and Girls of Afghanistan (ECW)

The Educational and Training Center for Poor Women and Girls of Afghanistan (ECW), which was established in October 1997, with the aim of empowering Afghan women and girls economically, socially, and legally. Implemented projects include the Stop the Violence against Women, which was by UNIFEM.

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Equality for Peace and Democracy

EQUALITY for Peace and Democracy (EPD) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering women and youth at the community and policy levels in Afghanistan. EPD has established platforms for women and youth to come together, establish networks, build trust and confidence, and strive jointly to transform Afghanistan into a democratic country free of all forms of violence and discrimination. EPD is an implementing partner of the TAF strengthened access to justice project.

HEWAD HEWAD is a nongovernmental, nonpolitical and nonprofit able charity organization established in 1994 to provide Medical, Educational, Social and Humanitarian Assistance to needy people of Afghanistan. HEWAD is partnering with The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the “Strengthening the capacity of Afghanistan’s National Police Force and other legal actors towards combating violence against women and girls”.

Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan (HAWCA)

HAWCA is an Afghan national NGO dedicated to working for the social wellbeing of all people with a particular focus on women and children who live in Afghanistan or in refugee communities in Pakistan. HAWCA provides direct help and assistance to women facing violence and uses its experience to raise awareness within the communities of Afghanistan, with the national government and internationally.

Legal and Cultural Services for Afghan Women and Children (LCSAWC)

Legal and Cultural Services for Afghan Women and Children (LCSAWC) was established in 1974 by a committed team to responding to the legal needs of Afghan women and children within communities and civil society. The organization strives for welfare and progress, with a focus on the empowerment of women. The focus of LCSAWC in human rights is on upholding women’s rights and social and human rights according to Sharia for families and society in general. LCSAWC aims to further peacebuilding among people by preventing and eliminating violence against women.

Medica Afghanistan (MA) Medica Afghanistan was started in 2002 by medica mondiale, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Germany that specializes in providing aid to women victims of sexual violence in war-torn countries and crisis zones around the world. MA provides psychosocial support for VAW survivors in Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, and Herat. They also work with MoPH on mental health and VAW issues, and provide training to service providers on trauma-sensitive care for VAW survivors including healthcare workers, police, and other service providers.

New Afghanistan Women Association (NAWA)

The New Afghanistan Women Association (NAWA) is a non-profit organization (NGO) that advocates to change the public mind to accept democracy, human rights, and gender equality. They use media programs, local shuras, and raise awareness and build capacity for people, especially women, This organization has plans to design and prepare projects to support and enhance democracy of Afghanistan, support women, and advocate for the elimination of violence against women and children with the support of the community.

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)

Established in 1977, the RAWA is the oldest political and social organization for women in Afghanistan. It provides support to female victims of war and atrocities, including helping to secure passage to Pakistan for medical treatment and providing counselling. In addition, the organization runs targeted programs on health-care and education which include mobile health teams and home-based schools and literacy courses.

Voice for Women Organization (VWO)

Voice for Women Organization is an Afghanistan based NGO that strives to improve the position of women in Afghan society through advocacy for women’s rights, social protection, and capacity building.

Women and Children Legal Research Foundation (WCLRF)

The Women and children legal research foundation (WCLRF) was established in March, 2003 with the efforts of a group of Afghan women lawyers. WCLRF is conducting different research and advocacy projects on women and children rights in Afghanistan. WCLRF does research on the causes of VAWG, advocates for the protection of women and children from violence through advocacy campaigns, and aims to raise the awareness of communities, government and civil society on VAWG.

Women for Afghan Women (WAW)

Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is a non-government women's human rights organization, founded in April 2001, which is dedicated to protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls. WAW is based in New York City and Kabul.

Women's Research Institute for Peace and Security

RIWPS was founded by Afghan women activists following the first Consultative Peace Jirga in Afghanistan during 2010, and was registered as an NGO in 2012. RIWPS advocates and lobbies on effective approaches to combat sexualized gender based violence and violence against women during conflict and propose mechanisms for protection of women from violence as a prerequisite of peace and security arrangements and agreements.

Zardozi The Zardozi Markets for Afghan Artisans program which aims to provide poor and vulnerable women with training to learn a craft as well as the business management skills needed to turn that craft into a livelihood. Women come to Zardozi training centers to refine their skills as they practice their craft and take part in trainings that range from business management to literacy and accounting, equipping them with everything they need to build a successful business.