Auckland District Law Society is calling on the government to help Afghanistan's women judges and their families escape the threat of violence and death in their homeland.
File photo: Afghan women on International Women's Day in Bamiyan Province earlier this year Photo: AFP
In January, two female Afghan judges were assassinated on their way to court.
Marie Dyhrberg Photo: SUPPLIED
The society's president Marie Dyhrberg said New Zealand lawyers have worked on the ground in Afghanistan to help set up systems and legislation to deal with sexual violence.
That work is now likely to be lost, and Afghan lawyers and 37 judges who have advocated for change are in danger, she said.
"There are grave fears, very much for the welfare of these female judges and of course their families, and they are very real fears."
New Zealand has the resources to provide safe passage and haven, Dyhrberg said.