“It’s like doomsday for me. I am constantly suffering. Can you imagine – I am watching my children die in front of my eyes.’
Amina was saying this in a heavy voice while crying. Her seven-month-old baby Hazra is admitted to a hospital in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province. Little Hazra is moaning on the bed with a worn out body and shortness of breath.
Afghan children are dying due to lack of essential food, malnutrition and various diseases. Due to the policies of the Taliban rulers, the funds in the country have decreased drastically. In addition, women’s access to education, employment and income is also blocked due to various restrictions. Such harsh policy of Taliban is affecting the common people of the country. BBC.
Afghanistan is plagued by 40 years of war, extreme poverty and the extremist behavior of the Taliban regime. 3.2 million children are severely malnourished. There is not enough space in the hospital. Three children are kept together in one bed. Screaming in despair, Amina was saying that she has lost six of her children so far.
“My children are dying because of poverty,” he said. All I can feed them is dry bread and water.’ Another child in the intensive care unit next to the malnutrition ward is six-month-old Umrah. He is battling severe pneumonia. He is seen writhing in pain as a nurse administers a saline drip. Umrah’s mother Nasreen is sitting next to him. Seeing this condition of the child, only tears are flowing from the helpless mother’s face.
Weeping, he said, ‘I wish I could die in his place. I am very afraid.’ Two days later it is known that little Umrah has left the world. But Taliban rulers have denied such allegations against themselves.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, said, “We have inherited the problem of poverty and malnutrition. Besides, the situation has worsened due to natural disasters like floods and climate change. The international community should increase humanitarian aid, they should not associate it with political and internal problems.’
The United Nations children’s rights organization UNICEF has warned about such situations for children. According to the organization, if this continues in Afghanistan, children may develop irreversible physical problems. It can also cause problems like brain damage and disability. The effects of which can last a lifetime, even affecting generations to come.
Hospital doctor Sikandar Gani has expressed concern about this. He said, ‘Afghanistan is already struggling economically. If large parts of our future generations are physically or mentally disabled, how can our society help them?’
