One year after the Taliban took power, hunger and violence prevail
Osnabrück, August 12, 2022 – On August 15, 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan again after 20 years. One year later, the country is in a severe economic and humanitarian crisis: “There is a massive famine. For the children in Afghanistan, it is a matter of survival,” says Beat Wehrle, spokesperson for the board of terre des hommes . “More than half of Afghanistan’s approximately 40 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid, including more than ten million children.”
“Women’s rights to education, work, and freedom of movement are severely restricted and in many cases completely abolished,” Wehrle continued. “An entire generation of girls will not be able to complete their schooling. Women and girls, as well as journalists and human rights activists, continue to take to the streets to protest this. They all risk arbitrary arrest.”
Although a national amnesty has been issued for former government officials and members of the Afghan security and defense forces, at least 160 extrajudicial killings of former government and security officials by members of the de facto authorities were reported between August 15, 2021, and June 15, 2022.
Despite these human rights violations, terre des hommes considers the continuation of humanitarian aid and development cooperation to be urgently necessary: "The German government must not forget the Afghan civilian population and must honor its commitments," said Beat Wehrle. Support should be increasingly delivered through international and local non-governmental organizations with many years of expertise in Afghanistan.
terre des hommes Germany and its partner organizations support project initiatives in eleven Afghan provinces. These initiatives include the provision of food and medical assistance, as well as education and vocational training programs.