A Place at the Table: Safeguarding Women's Rights in Afghanistan

Ten years on from the start of the Western intervention in Afghanistan, Afghan women are facing an uncertain future. Women have strived for and made important gains since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, including in political participation and access to education, but these gains are fragile and reversible.

The precarious situation for Afghan women is set against a backdrop of spreading insecurity across Afghanistan. Civilian casualties are increasing, with May 2011 the deadliest month of the war for civilians since 2007.2 As security deteriorates across the country, violence against women is also on the rise.