After bearing the brunt of war, Afghan women and girls now pay the price of peace

Palwasha has watched her life unfold in an unbearably tragic way over the last six months. After losing her job as a cleaner, her family were forced to join others begging on the street, but in Afghanistan today few people have enough money to survive, let alone give to others. Unable to afford food and medicine, two of her children, both under the age of five, died in the past two weeks. 

Palwasha’s suffering is unimaginable. It was also avoidable. Afghanistan’s economy is being strangled by western policy and virtually no-one is immune from the impact. Her words spoke of the desperate circumstances that many Afghan women find themselves in. “Nowadays, the problems have multiplied… there is no money or sight of money,” she said.  

Having suffered the impact of war, Afghans like Palwasha are now suffering the price of peace. The UK commitment to co-host the upcoming donor conference for Afghanistan offers an opportunity to drive an urgent review of western policy and revive Afghanistan’s economy. Failure to do so will leave Western commitments to protect the rights of Afghan women as no more than empty rhetoric. 
  
It has been six months since the final evacuation flight left Kabul. We all remember the solemn promises made by Western leaders to stand by the Afghan people. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK would “do everything we can to avert a humanitarian crisis”. At the G20 Summit, he urged members to prioritise the rights of women and girls. 

Yet in the ensuing months, I’ve travelled across Afghanistan for the International Rescue Committee and witnessed the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding at breakneck speed. Despite promises made, women are suffering enormously. 

This should hardly come as a surprise. Less than six months ago, more than 40 per cent of the country’s GDP and and 75 per cent of public spending came from international donors. This tap was turned off overnight. No country could survive such a shock, and these sanctions have even further strangled the private sector. 

Humanitarian aid is needed and will save lives. But aid cannot replace a functioning economy. Without the ability to earn a living to buy food and pay for medicines, humanitarian needs amongst Afghans will continue to rise. The UN has warned that without changes next year $10 billion will be needed for Afghanistan. 

The tragic irony is that while the Taliban is limiting women's rights, the west’s approach is causing the greatest harm to the most vulnerable. Afghanistan was already one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a girl, yet over the last 20 years we have seen progress in protecting women’s rights and improving access to life saving healthcare. These gains are now at risk.

Afghan women and their families are living in a new hellish reality defined by near-universal poverty and rising starvation, with over a quarter of the population facing malnutrition. 

Hunger and destitution have created the perfect storm for violence against women. We have already seen during the pandemic that when male unemployment increases so does domestic violence - this will surely worsen. Parents are being forced to sell their daughters into marriage in order to survive. 

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has made tackling sexual violence and women’s empowerment a central plank of the UK’s foreign policy. This is welcome, but to match UK ambition with reality, urgent steps are needed to address the economic plight facing Afghan women. 

And when women require support the most, services they need are often unavailable. When donor funding dried up, public health workers stopped being paid. Farida, a midwife who works at an IRC-supported clinic, told us: “If no one helps health clinics or provides their [staff] salaries then we cannot help those women who come here and need our help.” 

When donors meet to pledge funding for the Afghan appeal they must address not only the need for humanitarian funds, but also the policy commitments needed to resolve the causes of Afghanistan’s economic crisis. Four areas require urgent attention. 

Firstly, the UK should drive efforts to rapidly disburse the existing $1.2 billion of World Bank funding earmarked for Afghanistan. These funds should be directed through UN agencies and NGOs to bypass the government and pay the salaries of nurses and teachers. It would allow midwives like Farida to continue her lifesaving work. 

Secondly, Britain should lead efforts to relieve the liquidity crisis in Afghanistan. The US decision to release reserves for humanitarian purposes will relieve short term suffering. However, it fails to address the underlying causes of the economic crisis. It is vital therefore that the UK and others start the phased release of the remaining assets held outside the US to support the central bank. 

Thirdly, to ensure the accountable use of financing in Afghanistan, the central bank needs technical support. The UK should call for a joint World Bank/International Monetary Fund mission to Afghanistan to scope the potential for technical assistance.

Finally, whilst humanitarian exemptions have been guaranteed for sanctions, they are continuing to have a chilling effect on the country’s financial sector. The UK should work with other donors to ensure businesses have the legal assurances they need to work in Afghanistan.

The UK and international donors must act now to halt the slide towards economic meltdown. The future of Afghan women and girls are at stake. In the words of Palwasha, “My message to the world is please help us.”