Kabul (dpa) - Just under five years after the Islamist Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Afghan women are now rarely leaving their homes. According to UN Women, the United Nations women’s organisation, 52 per cent of the women surveyed had left their homes only twice or less per month.

In contrast, 96 per cent of the men surveyed left their homes every day, the organisation writes in a recent publication. According to UN Women, over 2,000 people were surveyed nationwide in two rounds as a representative sample. The results differ between rural and urban regions.

Survey: Deterioration in mental health

On 15 August 2021, the Taliban captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, following a lightning offensive. In the years that followed, they drastically curtailed the rights of girls and women in the country. For example, they are not permitted to attend secondary schools or universities. They are also being excluded from certain areas of working life.

65 per cent of the women surveyed for UN Women stated that their lives had taken a worse turn than they had previously expected following the Taliban takeover. In the survey, they cited the massive cuts in access to education for themselves and their children in particular as reasons for their deteriorating prospects.

Seven out of ten women stated that their mental health had deteriorated over the past year. In additional interviews conducted by UN Women, women also attributed mental health problems to the restrictions.

Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

In addition to the restrictions on women, Afghanistan is currently experiencing a massive humanitarian crisis. According to the World Food Programme, 47 per cent of minors were undernourished in the first quarter of this year. Underfunded international aid programmes, poor harvests due to droughts and nearly 5.9 million returnees since September 2023 are exacerbating the situation.

Author: crisan.sabina

UN Women: Afghan women are hardly ever leaving their homes

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crisan.sabina

UN Women: Afghan women are hardly ever leaving their homes

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