Two-thirds of Afghan households in crisis, struggle to afford food: World Bank
Nov 23, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], November 23 : People in Afghanistan continue to suffer under the Taliban leadership as the atrocities are persistent and two-thirds of Afghan households are in severe crisis unable to afford basic food and non-food requirements, Khaama Press reported citing a World Bank Survey on Wednesday.
The survey, which looked at Afghan residents' living conditions from June to August of this year, concluded that the report "paints a terrible picture of life.
"It is profoundly disturbing to see that majority of Afghan households continue to experience great economic hardships and that access to education--especially for girls--remains substantially curtailed," said Melinda Good, country director for Afghanistan at the World Bank, as per Khaama Press.
Afghan people find it challenging to put food on the table due to rising food prices and the country's ongoing effects from the drought last year, which resulted in limited access and affordability, reported Khaama Press.
According to the World Bank survey, 65 per cent of participants thought that their households' economic circumstances will deteriorate during the upcoming 12 months.
From October 2021 to June 2022, employment among family heads climbed by 7 per cent, with a slight surge in salaried work in the private sector while employment in the public sector remained significantly lower.
After the Taliban took power and foreign aid was stalled, poverty was exacerbated throughout Afghanistan.
According to a recent assessment by the International Committee of the Red Cross, about 20 million people in Afghanistan do not currently have access to enough food, and more than 24 million more need humanitarian assistance.
Since the return of the Taliban to Kabul in August 2021, the alleged systematic attacks on the rights of women and girls and the use of violence, including torture and enforced disappearances, have created a culture of fear in Afghan society.
Local women of Afghanistan have been deprived of education as schools for girls are yet to be reopened.
The Taliban are also alleged to have dismantled the system to respond to gender-based violence, created new barriers to women accessing health care, blocked women's aid workers from doing their jobs and attacked women's rights protesters.
