A/HRC/40/45 implement a formal moratorium on the death penalty and for compliance with fair trial guarantees, in accordance with the Constitution, the Criminal Procedure Code and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. At the time of reporting, 836 persons were still on death row. VII. Elimination of violence against women and promotion of women’s rights A. Women’s rights 48. The Government continued efforts to advance the promotion and protection of women’s rights. In October, two policies, on women’s inheritance and property ownership rights and on the protection of women in war and emergencies, were resubmitted to the Cabinet’s gender committee for endorsement. The first draft policy aims at facilitating women’s economic empowerment and financial independence, while the second is intended to ensure a holistic State response for the protection of women in the event of emergencies. 49. On 8 March, Afghanistan marked International Women’s Day with over 30 events nationwide. UNAMA/OHCHR, jointly with United Nations partners, organized 14 events highlighting women’s rights and the importance of their role in peace and security and in decision-making processes. B. Elimination of violence against women 50. On 3 March, presidential decree No. 262 was issued, amending the Penal Code 2017 to enable the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women (2009) to remain applicable. This was necessary to ensure continuing legal protection for women and girls from crimes of violence against women because, in August 2017, the entire chapter on violence against women was removed from the revised Penal Code with the exception of crimes of murder and sexual assault, where the Penal Code would apply. Presidential decree No. 259 was also signed on the same day, bringing the sentencing provisions on crimes of sexual assault, battery causing injury and disability, and aiding and abetting into alignment with the Penal Code. 51. In May, the Office of the Attorney General recruited 93 women as prosecutors, enabling the deployment of more female prosecutors to the provinces and districts and the expansion of female-headed prosecution units under the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women from 25 to 31 of the 34 provinces. Afghanistan has 2,826 prosecutors, including 130 deployed to elimination of violence against women prosecution units across the country, 75 of whom are women. The number of courts under the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women increased from 15 in 2017 to 22 during the reporting period, with 92 judges deployed to these courts, including 25 women, most of whom remain in Kabul due to security reasons. 52. Incidents of violence against women, including harmful traditional practices, continued to be reported. From January to November, UNAMA/OHCHR documented 318 cases of alleged violence against women, including murder (91), honour killing (25), sexual assault (30), beating (94) and underage marriage (15). In 63 of these cases, the victims were minors. Of the 318 cases documented, 20 were mediated (10 by institutions under the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women and 10 by informal justice mechanisms); 1 was closed for lack of evidence, and another due to the death of the alleged perpetrator. Nine cases were withdrawn by the complainants upon resolution of the matter between the survivor and the perpetrator. 53. Women’s shelters, monitored by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, offer protection and psychosocial and legal aid services to survivors of violence. However, decreased donor funding during the reporting period led to a reduction in services at 2 of the 28 shelters operated by non-governmental organizations in 21 provinces. 9