With the recent events surrounding the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan, the futures of women are particularly uncertain. Following the Taliban’s takeover, the UN reported that 250,000 people have fled their homes, and 80% of those people are women and children. A report released last month from the United Nations also showed an increase in women and children killed and injured in May and June.
During times of crisis, violence against women and girls statistically increases. With the recent transfer of power from the former Afghan government, there’s a large concern that we could see an increase in violence against women and girls as well as an increase in child marriages. As of August 2021, the international humanitarian response plan for Afghanistan is only 38 percent funded. That shortfall could mean that 1.2 million children will lose specialized protection services, making them more vulnerable to violence, recruitment, child labor, early and forced marriages, and sexual exploitation. And 1.4 million women—many of them survivors of violence—will be left without safe places to receive comprehensive support.
We are incredibly privileged to not know the devastation that Afghan women have experienced- between the deadly combination of forty years of war, chronic poverty, COVID-19, and now this latest escalation in violence. Here at Her Campus at Alabama, we are committed to bettering the lives of women everywhere.
On September 29th, join Her Campus at Alabama and fight to help Afghan Women. We’re working with Unite to Fight Poverty and Not On My Campus to administer a self-defense class for women. Learn to fight for yourself and for others in the Moore Hall gymnasium at 6 pm!
All proceeds will go to Women for Afghan Women, who are collecting funds to send directly to groups in Afghanistan that provide shelter, food, and other resources to female victims. If you can’t make it, make sure to check out our Instagram page, @hercampusbama, for donation information.
To learn more about Women for Afghan Women, please visit their website.