in uncertainty to further their human rights
advocacy. In addition to the rise of far-right
movements across different host countries,
fresh regional conflicts have largely
diverted international attention away from
Afghanistan, isolating Afghanistan's HRDs
in exile. It has also been found that most
exiled HRDs are restricted in their capacity
to advocate publicly due to reprisal threats
against their family members back in
Afghanistan.
security protection and fostering strong
collaboration between diaspora groups
and INGOs, we can significantly enhance
and sustain the impact of human rights
efforts by Afghanistan's exiled HRDs. It
will help ensure that the Taliban’s human
rights violations remain in the global
spotlight and those fighting for justice and
accountability are empowered to continue
their work, both from exile, and inside
Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s systematic and widespread
repression of HRDs created a climate of fear,
forcing many of HRDs to flee the country.
This exodus has caused a significant brain
drain of experienced and well-trained
HRDs, undermining the prospects for
human rights work in Afghanistan. As a
result, there is a great need to address these
challenges through targeted interventions.
This includes, among others, improving
communication and coordination among
exiled HRDs and those inside Afghanistan
and providing tailored capacity-building
programmes.
Recommendations
With support from donors and INGOs,
emerging HRDs should also be identified
and trained to fill the gap as a result of brain
drain. Likewise, in-country HRDs should
also be provided adequate protection
mechanisms, enhanced security, and
human and financial resources to
undertake tasks with minimum security
concerns.
To conclude, the prospect of long-term
holistic support from Afghanistan’s HRDs
in exile hinges largely on the commitments
of diplomatic channels, INGOs and donor
community. This commitment is often
diminished by an existing competitive
attitude of INGOs and donor organizations
towards HRDs in exile to address the
current protection gaps. By providing
flexible, accessible and strategic financial
support, including the involvement of
HRDs in key decision-making, improving
The following section presents a critically
concise list of recommendations derived
from a wide range of sources, including
stakeholder interviews and focus group
session, on top of which donors, INGOs,
and Afghanistan’s HRDs of various
backgrounds, as well as relevant literature.
The recommendations are, of course,
made to different stakeholders, including
donors, INGOs, Afghanistan’s human rights
groups, and others to offer short-term and
long-term support for Afghanistan’s HRDs
inside and outside the country.
Short-term Recommendations
•
Facilitate Safe Communication and
Human Rights Work
Since the majority of experienced
HRDs have already left Afghanistan,
it is highly important that donors
and INGOs provide a particular set of
training for remaining or emerging
HRDs in the country. This set of training,
among other things, shall include:
◊ Safe and secure communication
tools;
◊ Digital
assessment;
security
and
risk
◊ Stress management and coping
mechanism strategies; and
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