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Out of sight, Afghans are going hungry: Taliban abuses exacerbate impact on women and girls, rights group says

www.hrw.org Out of Sight, Afghans Are Going Hungry

Afghanistan has been in the throes of an economic crisis for more than two years, after donors cut foreign funding in response to the Taliban takeover in 2021 and suspended Afghanistan’s Central Bank from the international system.

Out of Sight, Afghans Are Going Hungry

According to the United Nations, in 2024, 23.7 million people – more than half of the country's population – will need humanitarian assistance. The statistics are startling: 69 percent of people do not have enough food; 67 percent have trouble accessing water, worsened by a prolonged drought linked to climate change; the economy has contracted by 27 percent; and only 40 percent of the population has access to electricity. On top of this, the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.

Women are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Alia, who used to work at a beauty salon in Kabul before the Taliban ordered their closure, told me: “After losing my job, I have no other means to afford my daily expenses. It’s obvious that women in Afghanistan are suffering the most in losing their rights and means to survive.”

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