Foreword
This report captures the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) groundbreaking work in Afghanistan, including NRC’s role in bringing greater understanding and visibility to Afghan women’s housing, land and property (WHLP) issues in a displacement context. Over three million Afghan women have been internally displaced or sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Regaining or accessing housing, land and property is one of the most important steps towards achieving a durable solution.
Women’s housing, land and property rights are recognised in Afghanistan’s constitution and its civil code, as well as in Shari’a.
However in reality women continue to face discriminatory cultural norms and customary practices. This report aims to highlight such customs and cultural practices and demonstrate the challenges women face to fully realise their rights enshrined in law. It also provides recommendations to the Government of Afghanistan, donors, humanitarian actors and civil society organisations on how to tackle these challenges and increase meaningful engagement on women’s HLP issues.
NRC Afghanistan is proud to be a leading organisation working on and bringing attention to women’s HLP issues. This report is based on experiences directly from the field. It captures the bravery of our clients, who are increasingly seeking recognition of their rights and challenging deep-rooted customs which constitute roadblocks to Afghan women achieving their rights.
We express our special thanks to NRC staff, Samuel Hall, and all other players who have been involved in this project and in this research.
We would like to thank our donors who generously fund our women’s housing, land and property rights programme in Afghanistan and for funding this report. We also thank the Government of Afghanistan for giving us the opportunity to work on this challenging issue. And most of all, we extend our gratitude to NRC Afghanistan’s clients who have shared their stories through this report.
Thank you,
Prasant Naik Country Director Norwegian Refugee Council, Kabul, Afghanistan