A/HRC/43/74 were charged with rape, sexual harassment, abuse of jurisdiction and concealment of the crime, three suspects remain at large. In October, the Office of the Attorney General established the General Directorate on Anti-Harassment. Intended as a deterrent to curb the crime and signal the Government’s seriousness in prosecuting perpetrators, the Directorate is empowered to address cases that are outside the competency of the anti-harassment complaint committees in workplaces and in institutions of higher learning. 48. The cabinet committee on legislative matters proposed an amendment to article 640 of the 2017 Penal Code to retain the possibility of a court-ordered “virginity test”. That article allows for such tests only pursuant to court order or consent by the victim. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and civil society organizations called upon the Government to prohibit – in law and practice – all forms of forensic “virginity testing”. 49. The criminal justice system infrastructure that supports survivors’ access to justice was further strengthened, with the recruitment of 92 additional prosecutors, resulting in 32 of the 34 provincial violence against women prosecution units headed by female prosecutors. The Government also provided incentives for the recruitment and retention of female prosecutors, such as the recruitment of a male family member in provinces where maharams (male escorts) are expected by the community, and special consideration is given for female applicants in entrance exams. The Office of the Attorney General is working towards reaching its 23 per cent target of female personnel, in accordance with the structural reform outlined in the National Justice and Judicial Reform Plan (2017–2021). 50. The expansion of courts to hear cases of violence against women continued across Afghanistan; six new courts were established during the period under review. There are now two such courts in 28 provinces: a primary court and an appeals court. 51. Five of the courts are headed by female judges (the Appeal Courts of Takhar, Parwan and Kapisa provinces, and the Primary (city) Courts of Kabul and Balkh provinces). 52. Incidents of violence against women, including harmful traditional practices, continued to be reported. During the period under review, UNAMA/OHCHR documented 403 cases of alleged criminal offences of violence against women and girls, including beatings (140), murder (63), rape (52), causing injuries or disabilities (30), forcing women to self-immolate or to suicide (29), forced marriage (17), honour killings (15), and underage marriage (10). In 93 of the cases, the victims were minors. Relevant institutions mediated three of the 307 cases documented, and seven cases were closed due to the absence of a complainant. In 38 cases, the perpetrators were convicted by courts; in two others, the court acquitted the persons charged. Forty-six of the cases were withdrawn by the complainant upon resolution of the matter between the survivor and the perpetrator. 53. UNAMA/OHCHR conducted 323 advocacy and outreach activities on the elimination of violence against women, including 28 on the 2018 UNAMA/OHCHR report on the elimination of violence against women with State and non-State partners, and held 44 awareness-raising activities that reached 970 individuals, including 721 women. C. Women, peace and security 54. During the period under review, even greater attention was paid to the upholding, fostering and advancement of human rights achievements to date, particularly women’s rights, given continuing national discussions of a peace process. This propelled advocacy efforts by human rights defenders countrywide, encouraging the Government and the Taliban to include women as equal participants in such discussions. 55. On 28 February, around 4,000 women from all walks of life across Afghanistan rallied in Kabul to submit a 15-clause resolution to President Ghani, addressed to the Government of Afghanistan, the Taliban and the international community. The resolution, the outcome of a six-month national consultation with 15,000 Afghan women across 34 provinces, emphasized the need for women’s participation in the peace process and the protection of their rights during peace talks. The communiqué of the Consultative Peace Loya Jirga, held from 29 April to 3 May, included a 23-point resolution, with two articles referring 9