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	Excluding women from medical institutes threatens the future of healthcare in Afghanistan by UN News, OHCHR, agencies Afghanistan   Mar. 2025   As new school year starts in Afghanistan, almost 400,000 more girls deprived of their right to education, bringing total to 2.2 million.   Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the third anniversary of the ban on secondary education for girls in Afghanistan:   “As a new school year begins in Afghanistan, it marks three years since the start of the ban on girls' secondary education. This decision continues to harm the future of millions of Afghan girls. If this ban persists until 2030, over four million girls will have been deprived of their right to education beyond primary school.   “The consequences for these girls - and for Afghanistan - are catastrophic. The ban negatively impacts the health system, the economy, and the future of the nation. With fewer girls receiving an education, girls face a higher risk of child marriage with negative repercussions on their well-being and health.   “In addition, the country will experience a shortage of qualified female health workers. This will endanger lives. "With fewer female doctors and midwives, girls and women will not receive the medical treatment and support they need. We are estimating an additional 1,600 maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant deaths. These are not just numbers, they represent lives lost and families shattered.   “For over three years, the rights of girls in Afghanistan have been violated. All girls must be allowed to return to school now. If these capable, bright young girls continue to be denied an education, then the repercussions will last for generations. Afghanistan cannot leave half of its population behind.   “At UNICEF, we remain unwavering in our commitment to Afghan children – girls and boys. Despite the ban, we have provided access to education for 445,000 children through community-based learning—64 per cent of whom are girls. We are also empowering female teachers to ensure that girls have positive role models.   “We will continue to advocate for the right of every Afghan girl to receive an education, and we urge the de facto authorities to lift this ban immediately. Education is not just a fundamental right; it is the pathway to a healthier, more stable, and prosperous society.”   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/new-school-year-starts-afghanistan-almost-400000-more-girls-deprived-their-right http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/06/nearly-eight-out-of-10-young-afghan-women-are-excluded-from-education-jobs-and-training http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164476 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165331 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/taliban-weaponising-justice-sector-entrench-gender-persecution-afghanistan   Dec. 2024   Afghanistan: Ban on women medical training must be repealed. (OHCHR)   The ban against women in Afghanistan attending classes at private medical institutions is yet another direct blow by the de facto authorities against Afghan women and girls. It is the latest in a long string of State-sponsored discriminatory measures targeting women and girls in the fields of education, work and others – hijacking the future of the country.   The measure is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts the lives of women and girls at risk in multiple ways. It removes the only remaining path for women and girls towards higher education and will decimate the already inadequate supply of female midwives, nurses and doctors.   This decision will limit women and girls’ already precarious access to healthcare, as male medical staff are prohibited from treating women unless a male relative is present. Afghanistan already has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Women’s presence in the health sector is crucial.   All these measures, taken by men with absolute lack of transparency and without any involvement of those concerned, are clearly aimed at excluding women and girls from public life.   Afghanistan’s de facto authorities hold the effective power and responsibility for the welfare, security, and safety of the entire population.   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urges the de facto authorities to repeal this harmful directive. It is high time women and girls’ human rights are ensured, in line with Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations.   Samira Hamidi, an Afghan activist and campaigner for Amnesty International, said: “This is an outrageous act of ignorance by the Taliban, who continue to lead a war against women and girls in Afghanistan. This draconian action will have a devastating long-term impact on the lives of millions of Afghans, especially women and girls.   “In a country like Afghanistan, where people are bound to traditional and cultural practices, women in most parts of the country are not allowed to be checked or treated by a male doctor.   “With this ban, it will mean there will be no more midwives, nurses, female lab and medical personnel to serve female patients,” she said.   Heather Barr, at Human Rights Watch, said: “If you ban women from being treated by male healthcare professionals, and then you ban women from training to become healthcare professionals, the consequences are clear: women will not have access to healthcare and will die as a result.”   * Afghanistan already suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and there are deep concerns that that the ban would further erode women’s precarious access to healthcare.   * UN WebTV: Interactive Dialogue with Afghan Women from inside Afghanistan and in Exile (Mar. 25): http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1k/k1kelped6e   * IPC Afghanistan: Acute Food Insecurity Situation projects for the period (November 2024 to March 2025), which coincides with the peak of the lean season, will see 14.8 million people (32 percent of the total population) classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). Nearly 3.5 million children, aged 6 to 59 months, are suffering or projected to suffer acute malnutrition between June 2024 and May 2025 and require urgent interventions. This includes 867,300 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and almost 2.6 million cases of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). Additionally, 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to suffer acute malnutrition in the same period: http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159434/   http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-afghanistan http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/afghanistan-ban-women-medical-training-must-be-repealed http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-reported-restrictions-Afghanistan http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1157866 http://www.msf.org/excluding-women-medical-institutes-threatens-future-healthcare-afghanistan http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/dec/06/taliban-afghanistan-ban-women-training-nurses-midwives-outrageous-act-ignorance-human-rights-healthcare http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/03/afghanistans-taliban-ban-medical-training-women http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/12/afghanistan-licenses-ngos-must-not-be-revoked http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/08/new-morality-law-affirms-talibans-regressive-agenda-experts-call-concerted http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/gender-apartheid-must-be-recognised-crime-against-humanity-un-experts-say http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-afghanistan Visit the related web page
	2 billion women and girls are without access to any form of social protection by UN Women, IPS UN Bureau, World Vision   The growing gender gap between men and women is reflected not only in the world’s highest political hierarchies but also in the daily social and economic lives—with most women fighting a losing battle against poverty.   The latest flagship report from UN Women reveals a widening gender gap in social protection -– the raft of policies, including cash benefits, unemployment protection, pensions and healthcare – which leaves women and girls more vulnerable to poverty.   Released ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, the report shows that a staggering two billion women and girls are without access to any form of social protection.   While levels of social protection have increased since 2015, gender gaps in such coverage have widened in most developing regions, suggesting that the recent gains have benefited men more than women.   In a world of turmoil, the report calls on governments to provide women and girls with sustainable pathways out of poverty, by prioritizing the needs of women and girls in their social protection measures and crisis responses.   Sandra Ramirez, a Legal and Advocacy Advisor at Equality Now, told IPS women around the world continue to be denied their economic rights– and their economic participation is hindered by a range of sex-discriminatory laws, including those that govern labor and prevent women from having equal access to property ownership, inheritance, and retirement rights.   In numerous countries, she pointed out, women face barriers to accessing credit and bank accounts and are barred from certain professions. Financial inequality prevents many women from accruing wealth, attaining economic stability, and investing in essentials such as housing, healthcare, and retirement.   “Legal and social restrictions on women’s access to education and economic participation limit their earning potential, widen the gender pay gap, and curtail their decision-making power. This combines to keep women disproportionately represented in low-wage, insecure, and unregulated jobs, with limited access to career advancement opportunities,” she said.   UN Women’s new report highlights how globally, in 2023, just 36.4% of women with newborns were covered by maternity benefits. Without adequate paid maternity leave, new mothers are often forced to return to work shortly after childbirth, potentially jeopardizing their physical and mental health as they juggle the demands of childcare and work.   The lack of paid paternity leave in many countries perpetuates traditional gender roles, placing the burden of caregiving on women and forcing mothers to choose between their careers and family responsibilities.   The unequal distribution of unpaid care work and the undervaluation of women’s unpaid care and domestic labor compounds the obstacles women face, said Ramirez, who is based in Colombia.   Ben Phillips, author of ‘How to Fight Inequality’ and a former advisor to governments on social policy, told IPS the numbers revealed in UN Women’s powerful new report should shock policymakers into action.   “The widening chasm in social protection is pushing millions into misery, driving deprivation across generations, holding back growth, and undermining the social contract. The data in this report expose no mere set of unfortunate policy mistakes but instead structural, systemic and spiraling inequality that is the backdrop for a moment in which development, prosperity and stability are all in danger”.   The cause for hope, he pointed out, is that there are policy solutions proven to work. The challenge, however, is to overcome elite political obstruction to any equalizing policy proposals. The only safe approach for the world now is for leaders to be bold, and for citizens to organise to ensure that they are,” he declared.   Meanwhile, the report shows the dismal state of maternity protection across the globe. Despite advancements, more than 63 per cent of women worldwide still give birth without access to maternity benefits, with the figure soaring to 94 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.   The lack of financial support during maternity leave not only places women at an economic disadvantage, it also compromises their health and well-being and that of their children, perpetuating poverty across generations.   The report also paints a stark picture of the gendered nature of poverty. Women and girls are overrepresented among the poor at every stage of life, with the largest gaps during their childbearing years. Women aged 25-34 are 25 per cent more likely to live in extremely poor households than men in the same age group.   Conflict and climate change exacerbate this inequality. Women in fragile contexts are 7.7 times more likely to live in extreme poverty compared to those in non-fragile environments.   Gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities are often neglected in the aftermath of shocks. For example, very high rates of inflation since 2022, which have led to spiraling food and energy prices, hit women particularly hard.   Yet, out of nearly 1,000 social protection measures adopted by governments across 171 countries in the months that followed, only 18 per cent targeted women’s economic security.   Ramirez of Equality Now said the gender gap in social protection leaves women bearing the brunt of economic instability and undermines their ability to recover and thrive. Climate change and conflicts around the world are deepening economic inequality for women, as resources are diverted away from social protections that they desperately need.   With two billion women and girls lacking access to basic social safety nets, they are being pushed further into poverty, particularly in regions devastated by environmental disasters, war, and unrest.   “The push for higher military spending under the guise of national security has, in various cases, resulted in cuts to budgets that support women, depriving them of critical services like shelters and legal resources. Moreover, tax regimes, trade policies, and international agreements are often skewed against the interests of women and girls, further entrenching gender inequality.”   Addressing the gender pay gap, argued Ramirez, requires governments to actively strengthen legal protections for women in the workforce. This includes preventing them from being confined to low-paid or unregulated roles. It also requires addressing the issue of women being forced to leave work for unpaid caregiving and subsequently denied equal pension access.   “The adoption of progressive laws, like equal pay for equal work by governments, is important, and the robust implementation of these laws is vital for meaningful change. Women’s participation in the economy should not be seen as a trade-off among competing development priorities—it must be embedded at the core of all developmental processes”.   It’s time to shift the narrative, she said. “Boosting women’s economic involvement, acknowledging and valuing their contributions and expertise, and redefining how we measure and promote economic activity should be recognized as urgent imperatives”.   Presenting the report, at a joint event with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, said the potential of social protection for gender equality, resilience and transformation is enormous.   “To harness this, we need to centre the dignity, agency and empowerment of women and girls at every stage of the process – from policy and programme design to delivery and financing.”   With contributions from academia, civil society and the UN system, notably the International Labour Organization (ILO), the report spotlights examples of progress. Countries such as Mongolia have extended maternity leave benefits to informal workers, including herders and the self-employed, while also strengthening paternity leave to support gender equality in caregiving responsibilities.   In countries like Mexico and Tunisia, steps have been taken to include domestic workers in social security systems. In Senegal, the National Health Insurance scheme has extended and adapted its services to cater to rural women, with support from UN Women.   These initiatives demonstrate the transformative potential of social protection systems, policies and programmes that are gender-responsive, that pay special attention to the unique challenges that women and girls face.   http://www.ipsnews.net/2024/10/staggering-2-0-billion-women-live-poverty-no-access-social-protection/ http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/10/two-billion-women-and-girls-worldwide-lack-access-to-any-form-of-social-protection-un-women-report-shows http://equalmeasures2030.org/2024-sdg-gender-index/ http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/world-survey-on-the-role-of-women-in-development http://equalitynow.org/news_and_insights/   Jan. 2025   Gendered food insecurity among adolescents in African communities, by Adesewa Olofinko. (Globa Voices)   In many African communities, food is more than just sustenance — it's a reflection of culture, tradition, and, often, gender dynamics. At the dinner table, the subtle yet prevalent practice of prioritizing boys over girls manifests through what scholars term gender differences in food insecurity.   This disparity, where adolescent boys receive larger portions or better quality food than girls, has far-reaching consequences and underscores deeper societal attitudes towards nutrition and gender equality.   Adolescent girls in Africa often face heightened risks of anemia, stunted growth, and weakened immunity. With an estimated 60 million cases of anemia in adolescent girls annually, costing the Africa Union (AU) member states a staggering USD 1.38 billion, widespread malnutrition and invisible inequality exacerbate the gender health gap and threaten the well-being of future generations.   In 2023, the AU and Nutrition International (NI) launched the adolescent nutrition campaign “With Good Nutrition, She’ll Grow into It” (SGII), with a simple message that girls can become anything and everything they want to be and good nutrition is critical to helping them get there.   According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common nutritional cause of anemia is iron deficiency, which is a serious global public health problem affecting 30 percent of women and girls 15–49 years old worldwide.   In 2022, the AU declared the theme of the year “nutrition” as a way to advocate for the development of a strategic framework for the prevention and management of anemia in Africa. Even though the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS) 2016–2025 targeted a 50 percent reduction in anemia among girls and women of reproductive age (15–49 years), it lacked a dedicated strategy to achieve this goal.   In an interview conducted in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria, Adesewa Olofinko explored the prevalence of food inequality through conversations with two teenage girls, Favour Okeowo and Fisayo Falade. The interviews were conducted with parental consent and in the presence of a guardian to ensure a safe and supportive environment.   AO: Do you feel that boys and girls in your family are treated differently when it comes to food? Can you share any examples of this?   FF: My brother eats a lot more than me. I am three years older than him, but he gets the bigger portion every time. He eats a lot. I think it’s because he’s a boy and boys eat more than girls. He’s stronger than me too, but I am taller.   This imbalance and the practice of gendered feeding inequality in many African communities are often rooted in cultural norms and perceptions of value. The underlying, unspoken rationale in many households is that boys are seen as investments in the family’s future, while girls are expected to marry and eventually “belong” to another family.   AO: Do you understand why your parents give you smaller food plates than your brother?   FF: My father always said that boys grow up to become breadwinners of the family and will carry on the family name but that the girl should focus on her education and domestic responsibilities. Even though I am three years older than my brother, they give him bigger portions of food than me because my mum says he is stronger and ‘a man.’ I know it’s wrong, and I hope to one day change that and prove to them that a girl can become anything she wants.   The cost of unequal portions in Africa   The practice of gendered feeding carries long-term consequences beyond the present, particularly for a girl’s health, education, and future opportunities. In adolescents, malnutrition is not only capable of stunting physical and cognitive development, but it leaves girls less equipped to perform academically or compete in the labor market.   The Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS 2026–2035), the successor to the ARNS 2016–2025, is aimed at supporting the achievement of a 50 percent reduction of anemia in adolescent girls and women of reproductive age. Through various nutrition policies, they are designed to assist AU member states in refining their national goals and programs.   Even though this silent hunger or inequality in feeding denies girls both physical nourishment and opportunities to thrive, it isn’t an indictment of African culture as a monolith. Across the continent, there are variations in how food is distributed and valued, with family structure, parental working status, and socioeconomic status playing an important role in the diet quality of adolescents.   Organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and many other local agencies continue to play a huge role through advocacy and campaigns to tackle malnutrition and adolescent nutrition for girls on the continent.   In October 2023, Tanzania became the first African country to launch the Nutrition International “She’ll Grow Into It” campaign at the national level, highlighting the importance of adequate nutrition for the development and well-being of adolescent girls.   Feeding inequalities are a mirror to the broader gender imbalances in our societies. For the African Union to achieve its Agenda 2063 of a prosperous Africa, every child must have an equal chance to thrive, regardless of gender, and sometimes, it begins on the plate. As the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy enters its next decade, it remains to be seen whether there will be tangible progress in tackling malnutrition and anemia reduction across the continent.   http://globalvoices.org/2025/01/31/gendered-feeding-inequality-among-adolescents-in-african-communities/   Dec. 2024   The 2024 SDG Gender Index is the most comprehensive global measure of gender equality. Developed by EM2030, it provides a snapshot of where the world stands on the vision of gender equality embedded in the 2030 Agenda. It is a multidimensional index, benchmarking gender equality across 139 countries (covering 96% of the world’s women and girls) and 56 issues across 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals:   http://equalmeasures2030.org/2024-sdg-gender-index/   Oct. 2024   Breaking the Cycle: Malnutrition’s Toll on Women and Girls. (World Vision)   Breaking the Cycle: Malnutrition’s Toll on Women and Girls highlights the huge impact malnutrition has on girls’ lives, education, future earnings, and likelihood to experience violence and stress.   More than 3 million baby girls are unlikely to make it to their fifth birthday, solely due to Vitamin A deficiency and low birthweight.   Almost 16 million of those who survive to adolescence are unlikely to complete secondary school. Food insecurity, and a preference for male children in some countries, means that in many countries girls are more likely to be hungry or malnourished than boys, even in their own families.   When their health, school or job performance is impacted by malnutrition, traditional gender norms amplify the impact and girls become more likely to lose their lives, not complete school, earn less, marry earlier, and have more children sooner.   “Often when we talk about hunger, people picture the famines of the 1980s,” Dana Buzducea, lead for advocacy at World Vision International. “Since COVID-19, the impact of the economic crisis, climate change and conflict has spurred an alarming increase in the number of children and families living in famine-like conditions or being severely malnourished. Our new report highlights the enormous costs of malnutrition to girls in every country on the globe, as no country has eliminated malnutrition.” added Buzducea.   Today, more than one billion adolescent girls and women suffer from different forms of malnutrition. Women and girls make up 60% of the world’s chronically malnourished and suffer most due to climate, economic, and conflict related shocks; during the COVID-19 pandemic, the gender gap in food insecurity (difference between the number of women affected by malnutrition, compared to men) more than doubled from 49 million to 126 million, as the pandemic exacerbated inequalities and wreaked havoc on women and girls’ ability to work, support themselves and access nutritious food.   “The number of people going to bed hungry and living with the long-term effects of malnutrition shot up during the pandemic and have not gone down. This is after years of success in reducing hunger. People who cannot feed their children are left with little choice but to leave their countries and seek survival elsewhere.” said Buzducea.   “If we do not act now, every year more people will be forced into migration, millions of girls will miss out on their education, trillions of dollars will be lost in economic potential, and young mothers and their children will be at increased risk of death.   Those that survive will pay lifelong costs for malnutrition, that if not addressed, will be passed on to their own children in a vicious cycle.”   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/breaking-cycle-malnutritions-toll-women-and-girls http://www.wvi.org/world-food-day/report/cost-malnutrition-girls http://www.unicef.org/reports/undernourished-overlooked-nutrition-crisis Visit the related web page
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