IRC: 1 in 3 Afghan Children forced into arduous labour

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in its latest report has highlighted that the needs of 40% of children in Afghanistan are unmet, emphasizing that one-third of children in the country are engaged in laborious work.

The agency reported on Wednesday, that many children have been forced into arduous labour by their families due to increased poverty following the rise of the Taliban regime.

The International Rescue Committee has stressed that aid agencies in Afghanistan have failed to meet even the minimum needs of 40% of children.

Previously, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had stated that children in Afghanistan are forced to undertake hard and dangerous work to obtain their meals.

According to a report in 2022, in the northern areas of Afghanistan, 131,400 children, some as young as five years old, have been separated from their families and are exposed to violence and abuse.

The United Nations also reported that children’s access to basic services has been disrupted due to prolonged conflicts, displacement, severe poverty, food insecurity, lack of livelihood opportunities, and lack of investment, and there has been an increase in recruitment, abuse, and sexual violence against them in Afghanistan.