A/HRC/12/50 employment, the participation of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in legislation proceedings and the setting up of comprehensive guidelines for the elimination of gender discrimination, particularly in employment. It also called for measures to protect women, such as practical solutions to eradicate violence against women, a review of text-books in schools for the purpose of disseminating information on women’s rights, and increased public awareness on action against domestic violence. 391. Noting that war and conflict in the past three decades had weakened the political, social and economic structure, the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence viewed the setting up of human rights mechanisms and institutions in Afghanistan’s national development strategy as a step forward. It noted that war, terrorism and extremism produced violence and insecurity and expressed the hope that, inter alia, Afghanistan would be able to cope with these problems in the near future. 392. The Institute for Women Studies and Research commended the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan to promote and improve human rights, despite the problems and security priorities existing in the country, which was still in conflict. It noted that the situation of women and children was increasingly serious and that their fundamental rights were threatened. The situation increased the responsibility of the international community in properly monitoring the rights of Afghan women and children, promoting their access to equal rights and social security. The Institute believed that, if the promised aid and assistance from the international community were paid on time, the situation of the Afghan people, particularly the women and children, would improve. 393. The Islamic Human Rights Commission expressed concern that arbitrary arrest and detention of journalist by the police and other official security agencies were widespread. It was also concerned that women’s health rights appeared to be neglected, that cultural practices hindered women’s access to these rights and that maternal mortality was one of the highest in the world. It noted a number of human rights challenges facing Afghanistan, including the internal struggle in the process of democratization, gender equality, empowerment of women and the fight against terrorism. The Commission strongly urged the Government to ensure that, inter alia, the right to freedom of expression was not violated and the prompt and impartial inquiry of all cases of maternal mortality. 394. The International Institute of Peace and the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace noted that the Taliban regime denied women access to education, health and employment. The abduction of women, rape, the infliction of stoning, lashing and other forms of inhuman punishment had become commonplace. The Institute blamed those who had taken the responsibility for grooming and indoctrinating the Taliban and providing them with weapons. It expressed the view that those arguing for negotiations and a deal with the Taliban must be prepared to bear the responsibility for the oppression that would be unleashed upon the women of Afghanistan if Taliban-dominated rule became a reality. 4. Concluding remarks of the State under review 395. In his concluding remarks, the Deputy Minister for Justice for Afghanistan, thanked all participants for their additional comments. The Government of Afghanistan was committed to fulfilling all its obligations in the field of human rights in the light of its Constitution, including with regard to the implementation of recommendations it had accepted under the universal periodic review process. Regarding women’s rights, it was reiterated that Afghanistan had ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and had in place a law to protect women from violence, in conformity with the Convention, in order to give women an appropriate share in the Government and social life in Afghanistan. 122