Save the children: Millions of children victims of acute malnutrition, hunger and diseases in Afghanistan; girls shut out of education

Almost 13 million Afghan children are in need of direct emergency food assistance and 1.1 million children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition, a study report by the Save The Children Organization says.

Afghanistan, a country of over 40 million, plunged into a humanitarian crisis following the Taliban takeover last year in August. The country’s collapsed economy, following Western sanctions and suspension of developmental aid, further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis.

The lack of revenue and resources also impacted the Taliban’s ability to provide services, including health and other social support initiatives. Children and women remain the most affected. 

The country is already one of the worst places in the world to be a child, And, in the past year, the situation has become grimmer because of crippling poverty, violence, and drought, according to UNICEF.

“Rising malnutrition, an unprecedented food crisis, drought, disruptions to vital health and nutrition centres, and poor access to water and sanitation services have left more than half of the population in need of assistance. Millions of children – girls especially – risk being permanently shut out of education,” UNICEF warned.

Covid-19, measles, acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), and dengue fever are among the numerous disease emergencies Afghanistan is currently dealing with, the report by Save the Children said.

Education among other sectors is also affected by the ongoing crisis. Families, unable to afford education, pulled their children out of school. In rural parts, the trend of employing children in factories and harmful businesses is increasingly prevalent.

Decades of violence and the ongoing humanitarian crisis are also impacting children, psychologically, putting them at greater risks of having long-term impacts. Migration, primarily caused by conflict, poverty, and the lack of government, impacts them emotionally.

(SAM)