KABUL - The Attorney General office is set to establish special offices to fight violence against women in six provinces of the country. The agreement was signed on Tuesday between the Attorney General Office and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).
Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Attorney General Abdul Wakil said the US-backed plan would be implemented by IDLO. He, however, did not provide information about funds for the offices.

Primarily, the offices will operate under provincial attorneys as special commissions to combat violence against women. They would take on special attorney office form in a year, he added.

The first of the offices would start work in northern Balkh province next week, and later in Kapisa, Parwan, Nangarhar and Kunduz, he said. In the near future, the plan will also be extended to other provinces.

"These special offices would protect women's rights that are frequently violated due to illiteracy, civil war, poverty and forced marriages," the official continued.

The initiative could be successful only if the Ministry of Women's Affairs, local police, judicial organs and people cooperated with the authorities concerned, an American official said on behalf of US embassy in Kabul.

Speaking on the occasion, IDLO head Siddique Shafiq said the offices could be a real source of relief for women in terms of addressing their complaints.

Similar offices, set up in Kabul and Herat provinces last year, had shown good results, he said, adding 500 cases of violence against women had so far been registered in Kabul and 72 in Herat.