Here’s the translation into American English:
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Women and girls in Afghanistan, affected by the devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the eastern part of the country on August 31, face additional suffering in their struggle to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. The limited available aid has raised serious concerns, as noted by UN Women.
Susan Ferguson, the agency’s special representative in Afghanistan, emphasized that although the strongest aftershocks have diminished, women in the impacted areas are facing a prolonged disaster due to a lack of urgent assistance. A rescue worker supported by UN Women described her challenging task of climbing mountains and dodging fallen rocks during the aftershocks. Many women have indicated that they have no other channels to express their concerns given the restrictions they face in interacting with men.
Since the earthquake, rescuers have had to navigate difficult terrain to reach remote communities in Kunar province. The losses have been devastating, with at least 2,200 people dead and many homes collapsed. During a visit to a group of survivors in the Chawkay district, Ferguson observed the urgent need for more suitable shelters, especially as temperatures begin to drop. Many women fled their villages in the dark, seeking temporary refuge and have lost family members, homes, and livelihoods.
The humanitarian response has been severely hampered by the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for the UN. This situation has limited female workers’ ability to participate in aid efforts, although they continue to operate in the affected areas. Ferguson underscored the importance of their role in the humanitarian response, reminding that more than half of the dead and injured in the disaster are women and girls, many of whom are surviving under precarious conditions.
Cultural norms also complicate access to medical care. In some areas, there are restrictions prohibiting men from touching women, making both rescues and healthcare challenging. The destruction of basic infrastructure has increased the risk of violence against women, who must travel long distances to meet basic needs, exposing them to additional dangers.
Satellite images indicate that more than 649,000 tons of debris need to be removed, equivalent to thousands of trucks. According to the United Nations Development Programme, it is estimated that at least 23,000 people may have been forced to leave their homes, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. The difficult situation faced by women daily has been intensified by the recent calamity, complicating their efforts to feed their families and find a safe place to live.
Referrer: MiMub in Spanish
