CHAGHCHARAN - The Embassy of Japan on Tuesday handed over the Human Rights Protection Centre (HRPC) and the Women Rights Consultation (WRC) office to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in western Ghor province.

A statement from the Japanese Embassy said the centre was constructed by the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GAGP) upon the request made by AIHRC. The centre will be used by AIHRC and locals to protect the fundamental rights of people especially, women’s.

In his message, Ambassador Hiroshi Takahashi said: “We strongly hope that the community in large hold in their hands for the success of the Human Rights Protection Centre, and encourage the Human Rights Commission to bring justices to the community especially for women.”

He said that in view of the initiative of Japanese Prime Minister Abe, Tokyo promotes its support for protection of women’s rights especially in the context of conflicts and insecurity. Japan has started this year a capacity building and awareness raising project to help address violence against women in the northern and western regions including Ghor province.

The ambassador said: “We hope that this center will be the integral part of that coordination to promote the rights of women. Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women is one of the indicators of the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), which the Afghan government and the international community, including Japan, jointly pursue to achieve.”

So far Embassy of Japan had implemented more than 900 GAGP projects all over Afghanistan, including construction of schools, clinics and vocational training centres, agricultural, irrigation and infrastructure projects with the special attention to rural and remote areas. (Pajhwok)