Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South Asia comprised of an area of 652,000 square kilometres.3 Population is estimated to be 41.7 million of which 51 percent are men and 49 percent are women4. The country has been in a conflict situation for the last 40 years resulting in hunger, economic crisis, food shortages and rising levels of poverty.

Almost half (47 percent = 19.5 million) the population is below 15 years of age. According to UNICEF, children across the country are affected by rising malnutrition, a food crisis, disruptions to health and nutrition services. Lack of access to and poor quality of water and sanitation and detrimental weather conditions caused by a crippling winter.

Diseases affecting children include measles (with 66,000 children affected), increase the risk of pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI). 25 to 30 percent of deaths of children under 5 are due

to respiratory tract infections, with 90 percent of these deaths due to pneumonia.

Religion plays a major role in Afghanistan and has an impact on most forms of life and governance. 99.7 percent of the population of Afghanistan are Muslim with between 80 to 85 percent being Sunni and 10 to 15 percent being Shia. Other religious groups include Hindus, Sikhs, Baha’is, and Christians but comprise only 0.3 percent of the population. According to the constitution of Afghanistan, Islam is the official state religion.

Source: Report on Faith Actors Working on Child Rights - UNICEF ROSA Region/Nucleus Foundation 2022

Since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021, it declared the establishment of an Islamic Emirate which comprises exclusively male members of the Taliban. It has since added some religious and ethnic minority groups such as Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Nuristani, and Khawaja, but have not included women. These Taliban leaders declare edicts that detail acceptable behaviour based on their interpretation of sharia (Islamic law). Since the takeover Taliban leaders have publicly stated that they would protect the rights of Sikhs and Hindus, however these minority groups continue to remain in fear of practising their religion. Although schools in Afghanistan reopened in March 2022, girls from grades 7 upwards have been prevented from attending school. Against an outcry by the international community, the Taliban have taken a hard-line decision to keep girls out of school despite calls to the contrary by stakeholders across the world.

In June 2022, Afghanistan was hit by an earthquake which left 1,000 dead and 1,500 wounded, further exacerbating an already dismal situation for its population in general, particularly the children.