Afghanistan: In spite of international aid the situation of children is deteriorating steadily

On the eve of Universal Children’s Day the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) pointed to the deteriorating situation of children in Afghanistan. In the light of violence, infractions of human rights and increasing poverty the situation of children is worse in Afghanistan than in any other Asian country. "In spite of reconstruction programmes and massive international aid children are worse off now than before the fall of the Taliban”, reported the GfbV Asia consultant, Ulrich Delius. "High childhood mortality, undernourishment, burned out schools, child trafficking, rape, prostitution, child labour, marriages which are forced or sealed to pay of debts and bomb attacks mark the life of millions of children on the Hindukush.”

The international community gives the impression of being in very deep water trying to manage the reconstruction, about which there has been so much talk, and this is reflected in the increasing impoverishment of the children. There is then also the lack of coordination and the ineffectiveness of the attempts of international agencies to help. "It is really scandalous that in spite of the presence of a large international military force and the political significance of Afghanistan that the future of the children appears increasingly miserable and hopeless”, said Delius. About a million children are threatened with death in the coming winter because they cannot be provided with humanitarian aid on account of the increasing violence. The weakest members of society are the first victims of the bad government of the Karzai regime.

The readiness of the international community to make donations has also considerably decreased. In the light of the impoverishment of an increasing number of Afghans and the growing shortages of food the United Nations have called out for the sum of 282 million euros to provide humanitarian aid. But so far only one fifth of this aid has been promised, although it is so urgently needed, criticised Delius. The medical care of the people is so bad in Afghanistan that every 28 minutes a mother dies in childbirth. The increasing violence has meant that 400,000 people could not in the year 2007 be provide with regular medical care. Every fifth child dies before it reaches its fifth birthday. Because schools are being targeted by the Taliban and teachers are being murdered to prevent the operation of the schools at least two million primary-school children cannot be educated. 220 pupils and teachers werfe killed in 236 attacks on schools in the past year.

About 35 percent of Afghans do not have enough to eat today and are dependent on international aid. 54 percent of the children are chronically undernourished. But it is becoming increasingly more dangerous to provide aid.

About 30 employees of relief organisations have been killed since January 2008 in 117 attacks on aid convoys. Many parents are so desperate that they are selling their children or forcing them into marriage in order to pay off debts.