Afghanistan has some of the worst child development indicators in the world,

following more than two decades of civil war, international isolation, population
displacement and the decline of national infrastructure and capacity. As
Afghanistan moves from a period of post-conflict reconstruction towards a critical
phase of long-term, sustainable development, UNICEF has embarked on a new
Programme of Cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - a
programme that aims to gives every child and mother the best chance to grow
and develop, and make their full contribution to the future of the nation.
Child and infant mortality is high, mostly due to preventable diseases. Routine
immunization coverage is low, and there is a chronic shortage of accessible
health facilities in rural areas.
More than 50 women die every day from complications in pregnancy and
childbirth, mostly linked to limited knowledge of maternal health issues and lack
of obstetric care facilities close the community.
54 per cent of Afghan children are stunted and 40 per cent are underweight,
due to a lack of essential micronutrients, and limited understanding of caring
practices such as breastfeeding.
Poor school facilities and the long distance from homes to the nearest formal
school results in girls primary school attendance of just 40 per cent. Adult
illiteracy is 71 per cent, with female illiteracy as high as 86 per cent.
More than 75 per cent of the population does not have access to safe drinking
water. This, linked to limited understanding of basic hygiene practices, is a major
cause of high rates of diarrhoeal disease.
Poverty and poor economic prospects contribute to up to 25 per cent of
primary school age children involved in some form of work.
Early marriage, affecting an estimated 40 per cent of Afghan women, prevents
access to education and increases risks to health
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UNICEF advocates for the prevention, response to and eradication of violence, abuse and
exploitation of children, early and child marriage, hazardous and exploitative labour and
gender-based violence to ensure children have the space, freedom and safety to enjoy
childhood and to grow into healthy adults.
Campaigns for child protection
UNICEF is developing comprehensive outreach efforts to engage communities, NGO
partners and local and national government counterparts to advocate for the protection of
children. Activities in the past two years have included development of a concept and action
plan for a nationwide campaign on child protection using different tools such as community
dialogue, engagement with religious leaders and audio visual mediums. With the Ministry of
Hajj and Religious Affairs and Al-Ahzar University, Cairo, UNICEF has developed and

supported training and outreach materials based on Children in Islam that engage religious
leaders and Islamic scholars throughout the country to study and discuss the many ways
Islam provides for the protection of children. A campaign on risks of irregular migrations to
the lives of children and adolescents on behalf of concerned ministries was rolled out in 2013
and there is an on-going plan to work on a similar effort on early and child marriage.
Children and Armed Conflict
UNICEF co-chairs the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) on grave violations
committed against children in the context of conflict in Afghanistan. UNICEF led the
establishment of regional task forces on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), to facilitate a
regional and provincial level monitoring of and response to grave violations, including
through local level advocacy, raising awareness of risks faced by children affected by armed
conflict, and in monitoring of children detained under national security charges. Further,
UNICEF manages the MRM database and contributes to reporting obligations to the Security
Council Working Group on CAAC. UNICEF also deploys specialist protection officers to
monitor, verify and facilitate appropriate responses to the six grave violations on
CAAC.UNICEF provides technical support to the Government of Afghanistan on the
implementation of the action plan on under age recruitment and to this end a road map to
compliance is also developed.
Justice for Children
UNICEF partners with the Government, NGOs and other UN agencies to increase the
protection for children in contact and in conflict with the law. This includes strengthening
legal protection systems through the development of a comprehensive child act, capacity
building of duty bearers, raising awareness of local communities - including children
themselves - on the rights of children, improving coordination and collaboration among
various stakeholders, specific service delivery such as legal aid and diversion of cases away
from formal systems. These efforts have received a boost by the Governments recent focus
on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics under regional initiatives.
Social Protection
From 2003 onwards, UNICEF has supported the Government of Afghanistan in seting-up the
Child Protection Action Network (CPAN), a coalition of government, NGOs, community and
religious leaders working to provide access to services for children in need of protection.
CPAN is now functioning in 28 provinces and 54 districts and has increased in capacity,
gaining the official endorsement of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Martyrs and
Disabled (MOLSAMD). As part of efforts to address the lack of skilled social workers and
social work education in the country and in partnership with Hunter College School of Social
Work, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Kabul University and the
Government of Afghanistan, UNICEF has developed occupational standards and a
curriculum for a Bachelors and Masters degree in Social Work. Kabul University intends to
start the new department under the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science.
Meanwhile UNICEF is also supporting the rolling out of a Certificate Course in Social Work
for Child Protection for current practitioners from government and non-government agencies
in select provinces.

UNICEF supports the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in

fulfilling their constitutional mandate to protect, promote and monitor human rights in
Afghanistan. The Child Rights Unit at the AIHRC focuses its monitoring activities on at-risk
children in order to better inform the Government and other relevant duty bearers about the
situation of marginalised children. The partnership between UNICEF and the AIHRC also
works to strengthen the commissions role in the child protection system by providing
appropriate reporting and referral services for child victims of rights violations.
Current situation and key issues: In Afghanistan, children are required to adhere to strict,
conservative social norms while still developing physical and psychological maturity. They
are often required or are obliged to take on adult responsibilities. There is a widespread
failure to recognise childrens entitlement to special protection appropriate to their physical
and psychological maturity. This failure occurs at family, community and state levels.
Children are then more exposed to risks of violence, abuse and exploitation as a result of their
protection rights not being realised. Decision making in a household is a key determinant for
the level of protection a child will be afforded. Gross negligence, a lack of oversight, and low
capacity among immediate caregivers and duty bearers can immediately increase the risk that
a child will be exploited or abused. For many, sudden onsets of economic shock to a family
unit may be the immediate cause of an early or child marriage or sending a child to work.
Heightened levels of insecurity due to the on-going conflict and the increases in criminal
activity also present an extreme risk of violence against children across the country.
Over the past Country Programme, UNICEF Child Protection has made achievements in
catalysing discussion and initial consultative action around developing a comprehensive
legislative framework for the protection and rights of children that is grounded firmly in local
constructs and realities. Through extensive advocacy, technical training and support, the
Child Protection Action Network was institutionalised within the Government structure and
CPAN actors began providing case management services for children affected by violence,
abuse and exploitation in 28 provinces. Social worker curriculum and professional education
was established to build sustainable networks of social workers capable of serving child
survivors, and support to provincial youth departments led to the establishment of youth
federations to increase opportunities for participation and agency. UNICEF also provided
technical support to researching, drafting, and advocating for full implementation of a 10 year
inter-ministerial action plan to increase birth registration coverage for children in
Afghanistan. Working with religious leaders enabled UNICEF to pass on messages about
child protection in remote areas where community members were then inspired to initiate
agreements towards collective action to better protect children.