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UN official: Afghanistan women and girls in ‘deadly’ situation following earthquakes – JURIST

Alison Davidian, the UN special representative for women in Afghanistan, said on Sunday that women and girls under Talbian rule are in a “deadly” situation following following two earthquakes in the country, in exclusive comments to the Associated Press. Afghanistan has been hit by a wave of earthquakes between 7th and 15th October, reaching a magnitude of 6.3 last weekend, directly affecting a total of 43,400 people across six districts. According to UN figures, as of 16 October, 1,500 people have been killed and over 2,000 injured. The World Health Organisation further reported that as a result of Sunday’s earthquake, 90% of those killed were women and children.Expanding on the effects of the earthquakes on women, Davidian said, “When natural disasters strike, women and girls are impacted most and often considered least in crisis response and recovery.” Afghanistan has been under Taliban rule since August 2021, and has since restricted the freedom and opportunities of women by banning them from secondary schools, universities, and non governmental organizations. Davidian emphasized these limitations on women in the country, stating that “when combined with the ongoing humanitarian and women’s rights crisis”, the situation for women and girls has become “deadly.”It is estimated that, as a result of the earthquakes, 114,000 are in need of humanitarian aid. Health Cluster Afghanistan has reached 32,511 people in highly affected areas, but are calling for $7.9 million to cover life saving health services over the next six months.