By Ziba Balkhi
Ever since Najiba* lost her job teaching at a girls’ middle school in northern Afghanistan, life at home has been tough. With money tight – her husband picks up casual work where he can, but he too lost his job under the Taliban – the couple frequently row, and the tensions are affecting their two children.
“They used to be cheerful and playful. Now, they spend most of their time withdrawn and show little interest in being around others,” said Najiba of her two children, aged four and eight.
“They get angry easily and start arguing or crying over the smallest things. When they pick up their toys to play and realize they can’t figure something out, they get frustrated and abandon the game.”
The devastating impact of the Taliban’s restrictions on women – from a ban on education to limits on who they can work for – has been well documented. But relatively little attention has been paid to the knock-on effects on the children living with parents who are struggling both financially and psychologically after losing work that gave them purpose as well as an income.
For this story, Rukhshana Media spoke to families and psychologists in Mazar-i-Sharif, which before the Taliban takeover in 2021 was one of Afghanistan’s most prosperous and liberal cities, to assess the impact of these changes on children.
Nine of the 12 families interviewed said their children had developed mental health problems as a result of the stress of parental unemployment and increased poverty. The families said their children were more likely to suffer from anxiety, insomnia and aggression. Some parents said their children couldn’t sleep; others, that they spent all day sleeping and showed a lack of interest in playing or being with other children. Only two of the families had sought treatment for their children, with the others citing either a lack of money or of awareness.
‘We Argue a Lot’
High levels of domestic violence – whether between parents or directed at the children – are another key contributor in a country where violence has become normalised. Physical punishment or humiliation are widely accepted as ways of disciplining children, who have no legal recourse.
Nazila*, 41, said economic hardship and being confined to the home have taken away the peace in her household, to the detriment of her children’s mental wellbeing.
She lost her job as a teacher at a private education centre in Mazar-i-Sharif when the Taliban introduced its ban, and is now stuck at home, financially dependent on an abusive husband.
“We argue a lot,” she said. “Sometimes he beats the children if they’re making noise, or he’s already upset about something.
“I’ve also become emotionally unstable over the past few years. When my husband fights with me over something, I end up taking my anger out on the children.”
Nazila said her 10-year-old son now sleeps all day and barely eats. “He struggles to attend school, doesn’t do his homework, and won’t study, though he used to be very smart,” she said.
“He has no appetite, suffers frequent headaches, and is afraid of everything, especially loud noises. For example, if a plate falls to the floor or if we close the door a bit too hard, he gets scared, screams, and starts crying.”
Like most parents facing such problems, Nazila can’t afford to take her child to a doctor. With most families unable to seek outside medical help, it’s hard to determine the scale of the problem. But psychologists in the province described a crisis in children’s mental health.
Mahbooba Ahmadi*, a psychologist in Balkh province, said two out of every seven patients who visit her are now children under the age of 15.
“Based on the patients who come to us and what they share, I can say that psychological problems and domestic violence have increased in families,” she said.
“Stress, anxiety, aggression, physical punishment, and uncontrolled anger are common issues. In such situations, children often become the closest and easiest outlet for many parents to vent their frustrations.”
One doctor who works in the psychiatry department of the Abu Ali Sina Balkhi Regional Hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif reported a rise in the number of children seeking treatment over the past year.
Speaking to Rukhshana Media on condition of anonymity, the doctor said the children who visit often show symptoms such as anxiety, aggression, insomnia, excessive sleep, headaches, depression, nervous attacks, and poor concentration.
“Many families, due to a lack of awareness, do not bring their children in for treatment. They believe their child will get better over time and doesn’t need medical care,” the doctor said.
“Others fear social judgment and prefer to keep their child’s mental health issues hidden. Additionally, many families are in financially strained situations and cannot afford the costs of medication or doctor visits.”
School Ban
The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF has said one in four children in Afghanistan experiences anxiety – a rate 10 times higher than the global average – and nearly 15% experience depression. It cites the legacy of conflict and recurrent natural disasters as well as poverty as key reasons.
The ban on education for secondary-age girls has also taken its toll on children’s mental health. Even before the Taliban returned to power, many children were having to miss school due to conflict and displacement. One pre-2021 study that examined the mental health impacts of missing school found a strong correlation between education and better mental health among Afghan children.
All the experts interviewed by Rukhshana Media said the failure to tackle the crisis in young people’s mental health meant Afghanistan was storing up problems for the future.
“Irritability or aggression in teenagers and young adults is one of the most significant issues we have observed throughout our years of work, often rooted in untreated childhood disorders,” said one.
Marwa, 12, finished school last year and now suffers from depression. She sits quietly alone in a corner of a room in the family home, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them.
“I used to like school, but now nothing makes me happy,” she said. “I like to be alone in a quiet room with no noise. Loud sounds bother me.
“Sometimes I just want to cry out loud. I don’t enjoy eating or telling stories any more; I just want to sleep. Sometimes I feel short of breath and try to keep myself busy by drawing, but after a little while, I lose interest and stop halfway.
“Without school, all the effort feels pointless.”
Note*: Names changed for safety reasons
