Not Be Abandoned
Afghanistan has slipped from international attention despite the "extreme needs" of its people, an International Committee of the Red Cross senior official said Monday, urging the world "not to abandon Afghan communities." ICRC director of operations Yasmine Praz Dessimoz told AFP in Kabul that Afghans are "struggling to survive with significant humanitarian needs" and a collapsing health system.
One million Afghan children face life-threatening malnutrition, while 3.7 million suffer from acute malnutrition, UNICEF warned last week. Owing to the decrease in international aid, 100 clinics that had treated malnutrition in children have closed across the country. Afghanistan remains among the top five ICRC operations worldwide, but due to funding cuts "we had to make those difficult choices in order to remain alongside the Afghan population," Praz Dessimoz said.
Women and education
Praz Dessimoz expressed concern over the restrictions imposed on women by Taliban authorities, including bans on education higher than primary school and certain professions. "We could keep our female staff in our health support," but the major concern is "what is next? Because if the new generation is not educated, then there won't be any replacement." She stressed the importance of women health workers to deliver care and be close to female patients.
The ICRC supports 46 clinics and seven rehabilitation centres across Afghanistan, including services for people wounded in conflict or by unexploded ordnance. Clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan along the colonial-era Durand Line intensified last October, displacing thousands and killing and wounding hundreds of civilians. The Taliban government, which returned to power five years ago, is officially recognised only by Russia.