Who We Are?

Afghan Women’s Rights Watch (AWRW) is an independent, non-profit, and volunteer-driven network dedicated to defending the rights, dignity, and freedoms of Afghan women and girls. Established in response to the unprecedented rollback of women’s rights in Afghanistan, AWRW serves as a platform for monitoring, documenting, reporting, and advocating against systematic discrimination, exclusion, and human rights violations.

AWRW was founded by a diverse group of Afghan women’s rights defenders, researchers, civil society actors, academics, and committed professionals who recognized the urgent need for a credible and organized mechanism to respond to the worsening situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. At a time when millions of women are being denied access to education, employment, mobility, participation, and justice, our network was created to ensure that their voices are not silenced and their realities are not ignored.

Our coordination center is based in Kayseri, Türkiye, while our members, volunteers, and contributors are located across different countries. Through this international network, we combine local knowledge, lived experiences, professional expertise, and global engagement to build a strong and responsive movement for Afghan women’s rights.

AWRW operates through principles of independence, impartiality, integrity, and respect for universal human rights. We work with a network of volunteers and specialists in the fields of human rights, law, research, media, education, policy, and community engagement. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to respond effectively to emerging challenges while maintaining high standards of accuracy, ethics, and professionalism.

Our work focuses on documenting violations of women’s rights, producing evidence-based reports, raising public awareness, supporting advocacy initiatives, and engaging with national, regional, and international stakeholders. We aim to serve as a reliable source of information for donors, policymakers, journalists, researchers, humanitarian actors, and institutions working to promote justice and gender equality.

We believe that Afghan women are not only victims of oppression, but also leaders, professionals, educators, peacebuilders, and agents of change. Their resilience, courage, and determination inspire our mission every day.

AWRW seeks to build bridges between Afghan women and the global community by transforming lived realities into documented evidence, evidence into advocacy, and advocacy into action.

We stand for a future in which every Afghan woman and girl can live in freedom, safety, equality, and dignity.