A/HRC/22/37 some turned violent, with 24 demonstrators killed and 179 injured during different demonstrations in north-eastern, eastern, southern and central regions. The demonstrators targeted local government offices, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) bases, Provincial Reconstruction Team bases and international organizations. Four demonstrators were killed and 53 others wounded on 25 February during clashes with Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) when a large group of protestors surrounded and tried to get inside the UNAMA compound in Kunduz. 7. Arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of detainees, particularly conflict-related detainees, remains a major concern. UNAMA/OHCHR has remained engaged on this issue, observing the Government and international response to its October 2011 report on treatment of conflict-related detainees in Afghan detention facilities Treatment of ConflictRelated Detainees in Afghan Custody.2 The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and other international organizations have also raised concerns about the treatment of detainees. The Ministry of Interior and the National Directorate of Security issued new guidelines and orders regarding human rights and established a joint monitoring committee with ISAF and AIHRC. 8. The prison population has continued to grow significantly, placing pressure on facilities and staff. According to official figures released by the Ministry of Interior and the Central Prisons Directorate in October 2012, the Central Prisons Directorate is housing 24,027 sentenced prisoners and detainees who have not yet been tried or had their cases finalized in the courts. In addition, the Ministry of Justice was housing 976 juvenile detainees and prisoners in Juvenile Rehabilitation Centres as at 20 October 2012. 9. Mindful that rule of law and political support to ensure accountability for serious violations of human rights and international criminal law remain weak, civil society organizations and the international community continue to stress the need for accountability and inclusivity as crucial elements in any peace and reconciliation processes, with a view to ensuring that the critical problem of impunity is addressed. 10. The Government took steps to strengthen enforcement mechanisms for laws to protect women, including the establishment of provincial officers to support the enforcement of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women and issuing new guidelines for prosecutors in handling cases of runaway girls and forced and underage marriage. But harmful practices affecting women and girls remain endemic and the authorities too often fail to take action to protect women and girls, including owing to local allegiances and preferences for traditional norms.3 Many women and girls victims of violence do not come forward to register complaints, owing to their lack of knowledge of the law, fear of reprisal by the perpetrators, lack of trust in the police and judicial system, fear of being charged for “moral crimes” and running away from home and, more importantly, difficulty in accessing social services such as shelter, health and legal aid. Similarly, registration of cases of violence against women by police is not consistent and usually does not correspond precisely to crimes defined in the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women. The situation perpetuates impunity and undermines nascent gains made in the promotion of women’s rights. 2 3 UNAMA, 2011, Kabul. Available from http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/Documents/October10_%202011_UNAMA_Detention _Full-Report_ENG.pdf. See UNAMA, Still a Long Way to Go: Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women in Afghanistan (Kabul, 2012). Available from http://point.un.org/UNAMA/SitePages/VAWReport.aspx. 5