It seems that human rights and ethics have taken a backseat when it comes to Afghanistan. The situation is such that millions of children are currently suffering from malnutrition as the country faces development challenges. Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s state-run news agency, witnessed the worst after officials visited clinics in Kabul and saw children who cannot crawl or stand due to extreme hunger and malnutrition. Cases continue to increase rapidly. Unicef had already made a harrowing revelation a few months ago that one million children are facing the risk of death but the international community refuses to bat an eye.
The problem has been persisting for years as a result of war, hunger and poverty. However, the crisis severely deepened after international aid to Afghanistan was cut following the US withdrawal and the Taliban takeover. The UN claims that half of the population faces acute hunger and around 9 million people have been displaced. Lack of food supplies has created an enormous gap between supply and demand. And because basic food necessities are unavailable and poverty is at its peak, mothers have dried up their breast milk, depriving children of one of their most basic rights. Those that are lucky are provided food supplements at clinics. Otherwise, mothers are forced to feed their infant children dry bread. It is shocking that amid such a humanitarian crisis the international community continues to mull over whether or not they should recognise the Taliban government. UN Secretary General António Guterres may have warned that, “freezing temperatures and frozen assets are a lethal combination” for the desperate Afghanis but little has been done to hold talks with the US regarding the matter. You simply cannot pick and choose where the human rights framework can and cannot be implemented.
The only solution is for the UN to act as a neutral arbiter and communicate with both the US and the Taliban government on the goal of providing relief to the malnourished children of Afghanistan. Surely, the champions of human rights cannot let the situation persist any longer.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2022.
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