The pitfalls of protection : gender, violence and power in Afghanistan / Torunn Wimpelmann.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : the politics of violence against women -- Part I. Legal regimes. Intrusions, invasions and interventions : histories of gender, justice and governance in Afghanistan. "Good women have no need for this law" : the battles over the Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW). -- Part II. New protection mechanisms. Brokers of justice : the special prosecution unit for crimes of violence against women in Kabul. With a little help from the war on terror : the women's shelters -- Part III. Individual cases. Runaway women. Upholding citizen honor? : Rape in the courts and beyond -- Conclusions : protection at a price?.

"Since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, violence against women has emerged as the single most important issue for Afghan gender politics. The Politics of Protection, based on research conducted in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2015, locates the struggles over gender violence in local and global power configurations. The author finds that aid flows and geopolitics have served as both opportunities and obstacles to feminist politics in Afghanistan. Showing why Afghan activists often chose to use the leverage of Western powers instead of entering into either protracted negotiations with powerful national actors or broad political mobilization, the book examines both the achievements and the limits of this strategy."--Provided by publisher.