AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a child. 1 in 4 children won’t live to see their fifth birthday. Those that do may face a life living or working on the streets to survive without education or opportunity. Deep conservatism and a lack of legal protection make the lives of women and girls particularly difficult.

Street Working Children

Together with local partners, we’re working with children who have missed out on an education because they’ve been working to support their families on the street or in the home. We provide drop-in centres and help some return to formal schooling. We also provide vital outreach work with the families to raise awareness of the importance of education, as children need the support of their parents in order to attend school.

Children Living Behind Bars

When women are imprisoned in Afghanistan, often due to poverty related, ‘honour crimes’ or family breakdown they often have to take their children with them as there’s no one else to care for them. Inside adult prisons children lack access to basic care. War Child has set up a kindergarten outside the prison and arranges transport for children to attend during the day, which gives them access to food and a chance to play. We also work with mothers, offering counselling, training in childcare and a family liaison service to help on their release from prison. This last point is essential because many women are murdered on release because of the “shame” they supposedly bring to their families.

Children Arrested or in Prison

Many children are imprisoned alongside adults in Afghanistan. War Child works with a Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre that supports children we have been able to separate from adults in prisons. At any one time there are approximately 80 children being held in the Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre. Some are held without charge or for crimes they did not commit – for whom we provide legal aid, family liaison, access to education and healthcare and teach them about their rights.

Social Worker Training

To effect long term change and child protection more broadly, we’re working to improve training for social workers with the implementation of a national social work training programme. We also run the country’s only higher education Social Work course at a local University.

[For security reasons the icons do not accurately depict the location of our projects in Afghanistan]