"VAN" (International Desk - 22.03.2024) :: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) have labeled the mental health of women in Afghanistan as “very weak” in their latest report. They emphasize that 76 percent of them perceive their mental health as “very poor” or “poor”.
According to SIGAR, early marriages, domestic violence, and restrictions on employment and education in Afghanistan have increased rates of depression, stress, and aggression among women.
Based on the report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, women participating in this survey identified loneliness, social withdrawal, low self-esteem, anxiety, stress, and aggression, categorizing their situation as “very poor”.
Furthermore, a joint report by the United Nations Women, UNAMA, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently published indicates that feelings of anxiety, isolation, and depression among women have increased by nearly 70 percent between April and June of 2023.
This report interviewed close to 600 women from 22 provinces of Afghanistan through online, face-to-face, and group counselling sessions and individual surveys.
The joint report emphasizes that interviewed women have highlighted mental health issues and pressures such as insomnia, depression, hopelessness, fear, isolation, and suicidal thoughts.
Previously, UNAMA had reported on issues like early marriage, child labour, domestic violence, and illegal migration, attributing adverse outcomes to poverty and educational restrictions for girls.
These warnings come amidst similar reports highlighting the worsening crisis of women’s mental health in Afghanistan.
KP
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