How Afghanistan's women education, health system worsened under Taliban's 1-year regime

It's been a year since the Taliban ousted the democratically elected government with a promise to rule the country according to the laws and proposed a "vision" to bring the country on the track to "development" and "prosperity". However, various international organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported that the situation in Afghanistan is just the opposite of what has been claimed by the "all-men" government. According to a recent report published by the WHO, the health system in Afghanistan is on the brink of collapse.

The report state that there is a lack of funding, staff in the health facility have not received their salaries for months, clinics are faced with shortages of medicine and supplies, and patients are not able to access the essential health services they need. If this facility closes down, increasing ill health and mortality is inevitable. The facility’s struggles are not unique, it noted. Moreover, the report states the miserable condition of the majority of the population as the country is also experiencing a drought that has affected crops and livestock. This resulted in soaring food prices and the collapse of public services, leading to acute food insecurity for nearly 19 million people. 

"The recent funding pause by key donors to the country's biggest health programme will cause the majority of the public health facilities to close. As a result, more mothers, infants and children will die of reduced access to essential health care," said Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Afghanistan said in a statement. 

Women are facing depression due to Education restrictions

Moreover, a new report by the Humanitarian aid organisation -- "Save the Children"-- claimed that other than health and economic crises, new restrictions have shattered girls’ lives by excluding them from society and leaving them hungry. It is worth mentioning that after taking over the leadership of the country, the Taliban made tall claims suggesting that they have changed completely as compared to the earlier regime. The extremist group promised to allow education and jobs for women. However, instead of fulfilling their promises, the Taliban barred women from educational institutions and working. As per the report, a majority of women are either forced to leave their jobs or barred from education and are now facing depression.

The crisis is also taking a dangerous toll on girls’ mental and psychosocial well-being. According to interviews with their caregivers, 26% of girls are showing signs of depression compared with 16% of boys, and 27% of girls are showing signs of anxiety compared with 18% of boys. After the Taliban’s takeover last August, thousands of secondary school girls were ordered to stay home, reversing years of progress for gender equality. Girls interviewed by Save the Children expressed disappointment and anger over the fact that they can no longer go to school and expressed that they felt hopeless about their future because they don’t have the rights and freedoms they had previously.

Taliban imposes contentious laws on women

In May this year, the extremist group ordered all Afghan women to wear head-to-toe clothing in public, resulting in condemnation from international communities. The decree also mentioned that male relatives would face punishment, starting with a summons and escalating up to court hearings and jail time, for women’s dress code violations. Earlier last year, it ordered to remove all the banners and posters that include a picture of a woman. The Taliban cited the depiction of a woman in any kind of advertisement as being against Islamic law. Besides, it also ordered the clothing shops in Afghanistan's Herat province to "behead" female mannequins, citing the violation of contentious "Sharia" law.

Image: AP