The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently announced that earthquake victims in Kunar Province are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, while the number of female aid workers in Afghanistan remains low.
In a newly released report, the agency stated that thousands of families affected by the earthquake have lost their sources of income and food, and are in immediate need of hot meals, clean water, and psychological support.
According to the UNDP report, this situation stems from years of underinvestment and severe restrictions on the mobility and participation of women and girls.
The report adds that the agency has managed to place women and girls at the center of essential service delivery.
The UNDP further emphasized that 28 women from affected villages have been appointed to leadership positions to coordinate local kitchen activities and ensure that assistance addresses the specific needs of women.
The report also noted that following the 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan in the month of Asad, at least 2,200 people lost their lives and 3,600 others were injured.
Additionally, it stated that 8,500 houses were destroyed and nearly 7,000 livestock perished.
The agency criticized the restrictions imposed by the current government, which, after taking control of Afghanistan, has barred women and girls from education and schooling. The government’s most recent restriction involved closing the doors of medical institutes to female students, despite the country’s severe shortage of healthcare personnel.
This decision has deprived millions of schoolgirls of their right to education.
Moreover, women have been banned from attending gyms, restaurants, and public bathhouses, from being examined by male doctors, from traveling without a male guardian, and from working in national and international NGOs — including offices of the United Nations in Afghanistan.
