Afghanistan

Afghanistan continues to suffer the consequences of four decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, climate-induced crises, and barriers to women and girls’ equality and participation in public life. The situation has continued to threaten people’s physical and mental wellbeing. In 2024, an estimated 23.7 million people – more than half of Afghanistan’s population –were projected to require humanitarian assistance. The fragile Afghan economy, heavily reliant on humanitarian aid and remittances, faces challenges exacerbated by the exclusion of women from economic activities. Restrictive policies continue to hinder women’s ability to access assistance and services, as well as negatively impact international community engagement and donor contributions. Bureaucratic hurdles and efforts to interfere with humanitarian programming such as restrictions and ban on the participation of Afghan female staff, often lead to time-consuming negotiations and workarounds and cause project registration and implementation delays. Children are experiencing the worst of Afghanistan's unparalleled and complex crisis-they comprise more than half (52 per cent) of the IDP, returnee and other population groups affected by the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. 

Vulnerabilities caused by loss of livelihood opportunities have caused families to adopt harmful coping mechanism such as forcing children into child labour, child marriage and school drop-out. Between 2022 and 2024, 19.4 per cent of children were exposed to child labour while 38.9 per cent of women reported having been married before age18. Child marriage practice continues today with the highest number of cases recorded (56%) in the Southern region. Grave child rights violations are a significant concern, with children at risk of being killed and maimed, recruited into armed forces/groups, detained, abducted and exposed to sexual violence. During the same time (2022-2024) the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) verified over 5,000 cases of grave violations against more than 3,000 children, 11 per cent were girls. The main violations were the denial of humanitarian access (39%) and killing and maiming (31%), with 81% of child casualties resulting from explosive ordnances (1.5 child daily). Over 1,000 children were recruited for conflict and later received reintegration services. Furthermore, over 150 schools were attacked and more than 50 attacks targeted hospitals and healthcare personnel. An estimated 5.6 million children (6-17yrs) in 2025 are project to drop out of school. 

The 2024 protection monitoring report highlights 55% of persons affected lack access to psychosocial support services and 56% lack access to birth registration. Child protection reports and data from protection needs assessments in 2024 indicate deepening child protection risks in 32 out of 34 provinces of Afghanistan (94% of all provinces). More than half of all districts (231 out of 401) in the country are ranked high on the severity of needs scale 4(Extreme deprivations) in the 2025 humanitarian needs overview and response plan.

Afghanistan Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AOR) 2025 humanitarian response plan for addressing needs of vulnerable children involves a multifaceted approach to prioritize activities based on the severity of needs of children. As of September 2024, 94% of all provinces continued to face deepening child protection risks. More than half of all districts (231 out of 401) in the country are ranked high on the severity of needs scale in the 2025 humanitarian needs overview and response plan. 45% (179) of Afghan districts are on severity of needs scale level 3 (critical deprivations) while 13% (55 districts) are ranked level 4 (extreme deprivations). Due to limited funding CP AOR’s response strategy is to prioritise districts with extreme and critical needs. Therefore, 145 most affected districts were selected for implementation of child protection services. In 2025 CP AOR response, 3.4 million people are targeted (38% girls, 39% boys, 11% women, 12% men, and 12% people with disabilities). 

CP AOR will (a) ensure inclusion of women and girls, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups through its programming, (b) piggyback on the UN strategic framework to streamline the humanitarian and development nexus by linking humanitarian response and development programmes, (c) introduce a wholistic approach to protection monitoring to fix CP data gaps and enhance child protection cluster monitoring efforts by deploying child protection situation monitoring tools, (d) strengthen partnerships through its well stablished national and regional coordination structures and task forces, (e) build capacity of partners on AAP, Gender, PSEA and inclusion (disability). CP AOR has already laid out skills and knowledge development plans for partners’ capacity building. 

CP AOR will also champion and strengthen its technical systems such as the child protection information management system for case management (CPIMS+) . Child Protection partners have been capacitated to promote the use of the Minimum Standards of Child Protection in Humanitarian Action across the response and trained on use of CPIMS+. CP activities will be provided through fixed and mobile Child Friendly Centres. PSS will be provided to children and their caregivers. The most vulnerable children will be identified and referred to services (including development sector services) through the existing case management system. Case Management SOPs on GBV survivors will be enforced, and child protection activities will be implemented in close coordination with local communities involving community structures and adolescents as agents of change.