By Rukhshana Media
Nine out of 10 Afghan women experience at least one form of domestic violence in their lifetime, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Thursday.
To mark the 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UNAMA called “for concrete actions to end violence against women” in Afghanistan.
“Globally, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner. Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of violence against women globally, with 9 out of 10 women experiencing at least one form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime,” UNAMA’s statement reads.
With the Taliban’s new restrictions on women’s rights, especially rights to work and movement outside the home, violence against women in Afghanistan has increased, according to UNAMA.
“The message we receive from our partners and women across the country is clear – violence against women that was already at alarming levels, has been exacerbated by both crisis and COVID-19,” Alison Davidian, UN Women Country Representative in Afghanistan is quoted as saying in the statement. “And yet, lifesaving services for women survivors of violence have closed on account of fear of being targeted,” she said.
The statement comes at a time when almost all Afghan women have lost their rights to work and education, at least until the Taliban prepare a “framework” that allows women’s return to public life.
