After months of deliberation, authorities backtrack on reopening schools for girls. INTERSOS: “It is vital that neither the governing authorities nor the international community turn their backs on them”
Girls’ high schools in Afghanistan were supposed to reopen yesterday, but the decision was postponed again. “It is deeply disappointing that today, after months of deliberation, girls hoping to return to secondary school have been turned back. Education is just one of the many growing needs of girls and women across the country and it is vital that neither the governing authorities nor the international community turn their backs on them at this pivotal moment – there is far too much at stake” Nasr Muflahi – Country Director for INTERSOS in Afghanistan – said.
More than 24 million people in Afghanistan currently require humanitarian assistance: hunger is growing as the economy deteriorates, access to health care is becoming increasingly difficult – and it is women and girls who are among those suffering the most. In public hospitals, there are reports that over 13,700 newborn babies have died since the beginning of the year. On top of that, maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan remain among the highest in the world and it is the lack of access to basic health care for women and girls that is one of the leading causes.
“Although people in Afghanistan have experienced poor access to health care for many years, the rapid deterioration in the situation over the past seven months provides a very clear, and very real, indication of the impact of the sanctions. With many hospitals and clinics having closed their doors due to a lack of funding since August, we are concerned that maternal mortality rates will have started to increase. This situation must not be allowed to continue. It is imperative that the governing authorities recommit to the promise they made on girls’ education last year, and that international support for people in Afghanistan continues. People’s lives depend on it” Nasr Muflahi concludes.
What is currently known about the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is only a small snapshot of the true scale of the problems that they are facing. There remain many parts of Afghanistan that have no access to health care at all and where women cannot get the support they need. As a result, there are many who are suffering in silence – both physically and emotionally. To help address this gap, INTERSOS will be opening 12 new health clinics in the coming weeks. These will provide health consultations, ante- and post-natal care, vaccinations and screening for malnutrition in areas that were previously inaccessible due to the conflict. This will help build up a clearer picture of the true scale of the crisis that is currently unfolding, that requires a concerted effort from everyone working in Afghanistan.
INTERSOS has been working in Afghanistan for over 20 years and currently provides health care and a range of protection services in Kandahar, Kabul and Zabul provinces.