KABUL, 15 August 2023 –
More than a third (38.4%) of children surveyed in Afghanistan have been pushed into work to help their families cope with soaring levels of poverty and hunger, two years since the Taliban regained control, Save the Children said.
Children Forced into Dangerous Situations
Children are being forced into dangerous situations to support themselves and their families, with staff from the child rights organisation reporting that one girl was crushed to death by a truck as she was smuggling goods over a border crossing.
Impact of Drought on Food Security
Three quarters of children (76.1%) surveyed said they are eating less than they were a year ago as the country’s worst drought in 30 years has caused crops to fail, livestock to die and put food and water further out of reach for children and their families. The drought has impacted 58% of the households interviewed by Save the Children.
Stark Needs and Call for Action
This new initial analysis by Save the Children, based on a survey of households in six provinces, shows the stark needs of people in the country experiencing a deadly mix of poverty, climate change, and hunger. With millions deprived of food aid due to cuts in international funding, this should be a wake-up call to the international community to stop looking away.
Impact on Families
Sajida*, 31, and her family in northern Afghanistan have been badly hit by the drought and economic crisis. Sajida wishes she could feed her children potatoes, fruit and meat, but they can only afford rice. Two of her children, 8-month old twins Nahida* and Nadira*, have been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and are receiving treatment at a mobile health clinic run by Save the Children.
Sajida said: “We don’t have water in our village. We go to another village and use donkeys to bring water back here. There are long queues [of people] waiting for water. All the farmers pray for rain, but this year they are hopeless. They think the drought will destroy normal life here.”
She added: “My children come and say to me: “Mum, we don’t want to eat boiled rice. Give us potato fries.” But with teary eyes, I say: “I wish we had potatoes in the kitchen, but the only food I can cook is boiled rice.”
“They are very young, and they don’t know what it means to be poor and to not have money to buy potatoes. I feel bad seeing the condition of my children. I can’t give them a good life, not even a portion of good food.”
Climate Crisis and Hunger
Afghanistan is one of the world’s starkest illustrations of the deadly toll the climate crisis is having on families who depend on agriculture in order to survive. The country is now facing its third consecutive year of drought, which is affecting more than half the population.
Higher Levels of Hunger in Northern Afghanistan
Levels of hunger are higher in northern Afghanistan, where families rely heavily on farming to survive. Here, the drought has led to severe hunger in one in three households – 34.3% – in Sar-e-Pul province and one in five households – 20.7% – in Jawzjan, home to Sajida and her family. For comparison, about 6% of households in Nangarhar and Kabul provinces reported severe hunger respectively.
Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health
Hunger not only has a serious impact on children’s physical health but also on mental health, creating anxiety and depression.
Child Labour and Migration
Women and girls are at the sharp end, with more than twice as many female-headed households living with severe hunger as male-headed households and 17% more girls than boys are eating less than they were last year. All this has led to child labour, with more than a third (38.4% ) of children surveyed working to support their family, and 12.5% of households reporting having their children migrating for work, opening up an unprecedented child protection crisis, according to the child rights organisation.
Call for Urgent Aid and Support
Save the Children is calling for an urgent injection of humanitarian aid as well as long-term development assistance from the international community for the growing needs of people in Afghanistan. The aid group is also urging donor governments not to freeze or suspend ongoing and existing funding towards humanitarian work in Afghanistan, as this will have a devastating effect on the civilian population, particularly women and girls. Children’s rights, especially girl’s right to education, must be prioritised by all stakeholders.
About Save the Children
Save the Children has worked in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict, regime change, and natural disasters. It has programs in nine provinces and works with partners in an additional six provinces. Since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, Save the Children has been scaling up its response to support the increasing number of children in need in areas that were previously inaccessible. Save the Children delivers health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, and food security and livelihood support. Since September 2021, Save the Children has reached more than 4 million people, including 2.1 million children.
*name has been changed to protect anonymity
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[i] Save the Children’s initial analysis surveyed 1207 adults and 1205 children in Balkh, Faryab, Jawzjan, Kabul, Nangarhar, and Sar-e-Pul provinces, Afghanistan, between 8 July and 2 August 2023.
[ii] The classification of severe hunger is being hungry more than 10 times over the past 30 days.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 4: Quality Education
- SDG 5: Gender Equality
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 13: Climate Action
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- Target 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere.
- Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round.
- Target 2.2: By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age.
- Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
- Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
- Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
- Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labor in all its forms.
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location.
- Indicator 2.1.1: Prevalence of undernourishment.
- Indicator 2.2.2: Prevalence of malnutrition (weight for height >+2 standard deviations from the median).
- Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease.
- Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex.
- Indicator 5.1.1: Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce, and monitor equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex.
- Indicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group.
- Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 1: No Poverty | Target 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere. | Indicator 1.1.1: Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location. |
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round. | Indicator 2.1.1: Prevalence of undernourishment. |
| SDG 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.2: By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age. | Indicator 2.2.2: Prevalence of malnutrition (weight for height >+2 standard deviations from the median). |
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. | Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease. |
| SDG 4: Quality Education | Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. | Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex. |
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. | Indicator 5.1.1: Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce, and monitor equality and non-d
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