§ Mr. WoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the human rights of women and children jailed in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime for misdemeanours who remain in prison. [189501]
§ Mr. RammellLife has improved in Afghanistan for all, including women and children, since the fall of the Taliban. Prison conditions have also improved, although there is still a lot to do, and the UK remains concerned about some of the reported conditions in prisons across Afghanistan. We are aware that there are still cases where women remain in prison who have been jailed for committing 'crimes' such as being raped or being abandoned by their husbands. We are pushing the Afghan Government to implement fully international human rights standards, including the humane treatment of prisoners. We welcomed President Karzai's decree on prisoner release last month and are pressing for this to be enforced. In practical terms, the UK has given fl million to support the work of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), which has a particular focus on the rights of women and children. The UK has also supported the NGO Womankind, whose projects included working with inmates at a women's prison in Kabul.
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