Afghanistan: A Mental Health Crisis for Women and Girls
This post discusses topics related to mental health including suicide, and domestic abuse, and may be distressing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised. he erasure of women and girls in Afghanistan from public life is having a catastrophic impact on their mental health.
The erasure of women and girls in Afghanistan from public life …
is having a catastrophic impact on their mental health. Following being barred from schools, universities and workplaces, out of sheer desperation and hopelessness, increasingly women and girls are resorting to suicide.
Suicide impacts not just the individual, but the whole family – with fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and children being left to grieve and face a life without their loved ones. Cultural and societal barriers such as stigma and shame prevent many individuals and families from seeking help when feeling mentally distressed.
Official statistics are impossible to come by.
The De Facto Authorities have stated that they are not collecting data on suicide rates. It is well documented that medical professionals are unable to record death by suicide, and that stigma and fear prevent families from even reporting suicides when they occur.
The shrinking space to deliver any safe and high-quality mental health assistance since the now De Facto Authorities took control of the government in 2021, and the near total absence of support from the international community has led a vast reduction in mental health service delivery. This has left millions of Afghan women, children and families with no access to vital mental health and protection services.
Despite this, there are organisations that can and are operating in Afghanistan, providing life-saving mental health and protection services to the most marginalised including women and girls. However, funding is sparse. Without programs to address the mental health and psychosocial symptoms of trauma and violence exposure, more marginalised women, girls and families are likely to suffer from severe mental ill health and resort to suicide.
What can be done?
ARK is partnering with Peace of Mind Association (PoMA), a Swiss-based international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing culturally relevant mental health support to vulnerable populations, including women, children, refugees, displaced individuals, and communities affected by conflict and trauma.
ARK and PoMA are partnering to address the mental health challenges faced by Afghan women, children and their families. We have 50% funding to initiate an impactful series of interventions but would love to hear from our current donors, prospective funders or others who wish to contribute to the well-being of the most vulnerable in Afghanistan.
Please contact hhargreaves@arkgroupdmcc.com for information on how you can support.