UNICEF Reports High Rates of Anxiety, Depression Among Afghan Children

The report cites war and insecurity, migration, displacement of families, natural disasters, poverty, and the ban on girls’ education as the main causes of depression and anxiety among children.

“Compounding these challenges is the persistently restrictive measures on girls’ education, limiting their hope for employment and a better future, as well as their access to basic services like healthcare and mental health support,” the report reads.

Over the years, children in the country have suffered from various psychological and emotional traumas, with girls potentially being more vulnerable than boys during this time.

Currently, the lack of access to education and fear of an uncertain future are other significant concerns for girls in Afghanistan.

Motahira, an eighth-grade student, told a TOLOnews reporter: “It has had a very negative impact on my life because I really wanted to study and serve society.”

Aisha, another student, said: “It’s really upsetting, and I was very sad. I would sit in a corner of the house and not talk to anyone.”

Meanwhile, for boys in the country, poverty and hardship are major concerns, making them increasingly vulnerable each passing day.

Sharif, who works from dawn to dusk to provide for his family’s table, said: “I came here to work. There are twelve people in my house, and only my father works. I work here and get paid fifty rupees a week.”

Tahmina Qadari, a psychiatrist, told TOLOnews: “A child’s personality is 85% formed by the age of five. If we consider a five-year-old as a child, 85% of their personality is already shaped, whether positively or negatively, by the family. So, families need to be aware and properly nurture them.”

Based on this report, UNICEF will provide enhanced mental health care and psychosocial support to 3.6 million children in Afghanistan this year.