Since the Taliban came to power in mid-August, the number of children who are not getting enough to eat has risen by 3.3 million, according to the organization Save the Children. Up to 14 million children could be affected this winter.
More and more children are starving in Afghanistan. Since the militant Islamist Taliban came to power in mid-August, the number of children who do not get enough to eat has risen by 3.3 million, according to the organization Save the Children. It is expected that 14 million children will go hungry this winter, with potentially life-threatening consequences, the organization said on Thursday.
In addition, with health care in the country on the verge of collapse, many severely malnourished children may not receive the specialized treatment they need to survive. In addition, more and more people would have to resort to drastic measures to feed their families. Last week Save the Children spoke to a mother who was forced to give up one of her twins in order to feed the second. Another woman stated that her family had to go five days without food.
Such “heartbreaking scenes” would be exacerbated by sanctions and anti-terrorism policies that could disrupt and delay the provision of life-saving aid, said the incumbent Afghanistan country chief of Save the Children, Nora Hassanien. She called for exceptions for humanitarian organizations so that aid would arrive before winter fully set in.
Afghanistan is currently suffering from one of the worst droughts in the past two decades. When the Taliban came to power, most aid to the country was suspended and the country’s central bank reserves were frozen. The previously ailing economy has since been in free fall, and food prices have risen significantly.