A new United Nations report warns that Afghanistan’s children are facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with nearly one-third of all children suffering from severe hunger and millions more experiencing acute malnutrition in the country.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, said around 9 million Afghan children are facing severe food insecurity, while 3.7 million children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition. He warned that hunger, poverty and Taliban policies have created a crisis that is threatening an entire generation.
The report, covering developments between November 2025 and August 2026, will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September. It concludes that Taliban policies have fundamentally reshaped nearly every aspect of public and private life in Afghanistan, with particularly severe consequences for women, girls and children.
Millions of Children Left Hungry and Out of School
Bennett described food insecurity as one of the most urgent threats facing Afghan children, saying many families have been forced to reduce both the quantity and quality of their meals, while children increasingly attend school on empty stomachs.
The report also says 3.8 million girls aged 7 to 18 were out of school in 2024, including more than 2.6 million adolescent girls barred from secondary education. Bennett warned that, if current policies continue, the number of girls denied education could exceed 2 million by 2030.
Mental Health Crisis Deepens
The UN report highlights a growing mental health emergency, particularly among girls, linking educational restrictions, poverty and the absence of future opportunities to widespread psychological distress.
Bennett cited repeated reports of depression, anxiety and trauma among Afghan children and young people, including cases of girls attempting suicide. One teenage girl from Balkh told investigators that her life is defined by “fear, tears and despair.”
The report says the Taliban have dismantled key legal protections for children by suspending the 2019 Child Rights Law and weakening institutions responsible for child protection and juvenile justice. Bennett also warned of rising child labour, child marriage and the recruitment of boys into Taliban ranks, while unexploded ordnance from decades of conflict continues to kill and injure children across Afghanistan.
Calling the situation a long-term human rights emergency, Bennett urged the Taliban to restore legal protections for women and children, reopen schools for girls, reactivate child protection institutions and end what he described as institutionalized gender discrimination. He also called on the international community not to normalize relations with the Taliban until measurable improvements in human rights are verified.
