Two children point at an aircraft after they have been manifested to depart, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan
UNICEF has said around 10 million children across Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance to survive. "Today, around 10 million children across Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance to survive. An estimated 1 million children are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the course of this year and could die without treatment," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said in a statement on Monday.
An estimated 4.2 million children are out of school, including more than 2.2 million girls. Since January, the UN has documented over 2,000 grave violations of children's rights. Approximately 435,000 children and women are internally displaced, the statement said.
"This is the grim reality facing Afghan children and it remains so regardless of ongoing political developments and changes in government," Fore added.
This comes as the UN agency anticipates that the humanitarian needs of children and women will increase over the coming months amidst severe drought and consequent water scarcity, the devastating socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of winter.
"That is why, after 65 years in Afghanistan striving to improve the lives of children and women, UNICEF will remain on the ground now and in the days to come. We are deeply committed to the country's children and there is far more work to be done on their behalf," Fore said.
She said that millions will continue to need essential services, including health, lifesaving vaccination drives against polio and measles, nutrition, protection, shelter, water and sanitation.
"Right now, UNICEF is scaling up its lifesaving programmes for children and women - including through the delivery of health, nutrition and water services to displaced families. We hope to expand these operations to areas that could not previously be reached because of insecurity," the Henrietta H. Fore Executive Director added.
Fore further urged the Taliban and other parties to ensure that UNICEF and other humanitarian partners have safe, timely and unfettered access to reach children in need wherever they are.
Afghanistan's situation is deteriorating as people are in a rush to leave the nation after the Taliban seized control last week. Several countries have been evacuating their citizens from the war-torn nation speedily. The Kabul airport is witnessing nowadays a heavy chaos due to instability in the region.
(With ANI Inputs)
