Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to improve support and protection for women human rights defenders in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

The UK takes this issue very seriously. Our primary approach to supporting human rights defenders is to work with and through multilateral institutions such as the EU and the UN to support national efforts. These bodies have the expertise and resources to fulfil this important role in country. The UK played a significant part in the EU's recent decision to increase support to human rights defenders in Afghanistan, including plans to refresh the 2010 EU Strategy on Human Rights Defenders. The UK will work with the EU and other Member States to ensure that the refreshed strategy recognises the specific challenges that women human rights defenders face. We are also working to ensure that human rights, including the protection of human rights defenders, are a top priority for the EU's proposed post-2014 country strategy for Afghanistan.