The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan (OCHA) has warned that the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s participation in society are impeding the development of Afghanistan and obstructing access to humanitarian assistance for half of the population.
“Female-headed families experience more economic shocks & lower levels of income than male-headed households,” the UN Office said in tweet on Monday.
Afghanistan is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis and poverty due to the aftermath of the US-led withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
In January, OCHA warned that 28.3 million Afghans need “life-saving” aid in 2023 and described “collapsed economy, climate change and conflict” as main drivers of the worsening situation.
In December 2022, the Taliban banned female aid workers which forced most of national and international aid agencies to suspend their life-saving humanitarian operations for millions of Afghans in need across the country.