(Photo : ESSA AHMED/AFP via Getty Images)
Randa, a Yemeni baby suffering from severe malnutrition, sits on her mother's lap, as she awaits treatment at a centre run by a humanitarian organisation, inside a camp for the displaced who fled fighting between Huthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government, in the Abs district of the northwestern Hajjah province.
The ongoing Taliban takeover has been posing threats not only to the livelihood of workers but also to the lives of children.
According to reports, an ongoing food shortage in Afghanistan started about three months before the takeover. But since the Taliban took over, more and more locals have been unable to find food sources.
Since Afghanistan relies heavily on agriculture, the ongoing drought and the winter months have made it impossible for workers to harvest root crops. As a result, most families rely on water and bread alone to survive.
Afghan youth are becoming malnourished
Unfortunately, these are not enough to provide locals with the proper nutrition that they need to survive. Children who need more sustenance are becoming malnourished.
The lack of solution in ensuring that children will be able to eat healthy meals could eventually lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
One of the children in Afghanistan named Kamila has been malnourished for eight months. She is just three years old but only weighs 11 pounds.
Her grandmother, Bilqis, said that Kamila's mom is sick, so she couldn't take care of her. And since they are poor, they cannot tend to the young girl's needs.
A 1-year-old baby named Nasrin is also dealing with malnutrition. Her dad, Abdul Rauf, said they are always at the hospital every 10 to 20 days to have his daughter checked.
Taliban denies claims of starvation, food shortage
A spokesperson for the Taliban released a statement denying claims that there's a food shortage in Afghanistan. They also called it fake news.
"No one will starve cause there is no famine and the cities are full of food," they said via CNN.
For now, Afghans have no other choice but to wait until help arrives. But Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that it's unlikely for Afghans to survive the winter months on emergency aid alone.
Some families have resorted to selling their own children in exchange for food and money. Child brides are common in Afghanistan because it also helps families pay their debts.
Authorities pleading for help
Last week, Nada Al-Nashif of the UN Human Rights Council explained how the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been threatening basic human rights.
Al-Nashif said that there is a need for international communities and de facto authorities to address the crisis in the country because this is what will determine the future of Afghans.
"They will mark the difference between potential lives of dignity and well-being - or accelerating deprivation, injustice and tragic loss of life," she said via News.UN.org.
Deborah Lyons, the UN envoy for Afghanistan, is pleading for help from the international communities to provide financial support to locals. She also urged everyone not to abandon Afghans in crisis and said that it would be a grave mistake to do so because it would have tragic consequences.
Lyons believes that the humanitarian catastrophe can be prevented because it is caused mainly by the Taliban takeover, which started in August, according to Al Jazeera.
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