A/HRC/25/41 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 2/113 of 27 November 2006 and resolution 14/15 of 18 June 2010 and has been prepared in cooperation with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. Since the last report (A/HRC/16/67), the human rights situation in Afghanistan has remained deeply challenging. 2. Between 15 and 17 September, I had the opportunity to make a short visit to Kabul where I met President Karzai, senior ministers, members of civil society and our United Nations and bilateral partners. I observed that the country is clearly at a critical juncture, with the ongoing political, security and economic transition concluding in 2014, all of which will have an impact on human rights. There have been some distinct human rights achievements during the past 12 years, but they are fragile, and many Afghan counterparts have expressed concerns that the overall human rights situation is deteriorating on several fronts. 3. Deeply concerning is the notable rise in the number of civilian casualties, indicating that the impact of the armed conflict on the civilian population has not abated in any significant way. In the first 11 months of 2013, civilian deaths and injuries increased by 10 per cent compared to the same period in 2012. This rise reflects a return to the high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries recorded in 2011. The principal causes include the increased indiscriminate use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and more ground engagements between Afghan forces and anti-Government elements (AGEs), particularly in civilian populated areas. After IEDs, ground engagements were the second leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries, a new and disturbing trend in 2013. 4. The year also saw an increase in targeted killings of civilians, especially government officials, by anti-Government elements. Although AGEs caused 75 per cent of civilian casualties, the number of civilian casualties caused by the actions of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), including the police, has also increased. The increasing pace of transition of security responsibilities from international military forces to Afghan forces and the closure of international forces’ military bases has been met with increased ground engagement between Afghan forces and AGEs, and has been accompanied by rising civilian casualties. Children also increasingly became victims of the conflict. The number of child casualties reported and verified between 1 January and 30 November 2013 was 36 per cent higher than that recorded during the same period in 2012. 5. Torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of conflict-related detainees while in Afghan National Police (ANP) and National Directorate of Security (NDS) custody continues to be reported and documented by UNAMA/OHCHR. On 20 January 2013, UNAMA/OHCHR released its second major report on human rights concerns in places of detention, entitled Treatment of Conflict-Related Detainees in Afghan Custody: One Year On. Torture was found to be prevalent in several ANP and NDS detention facilities and was largely used to obtain a confession or information. 6. UNAMA/OHCHR released a report on 8 December 2013 entitled A Way to Go: An Update on Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women in Afghanistan, in which it reported limited results in the implementation of the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW law). Over the past year, Afghan authorities registered 28 per cent more reported incidents of violence against women under the EVAW law. However, use of the law by prosecutors and courts as a basis for filing indictments and obtaining convictions remained low, with most cases mediated through traditional dispute resolution. 4