War, COVID-19 test social fabric in Afghanistan

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) – In traditional Afghan societies, often extended families are supported by their parents, but the difficult times of COVID-19 and the surge in deadly violence across Afghanistan, have put to test the resilience of this social fabric.

June 1 coincides with the Global Day of Parents, and in Afghanistan the deep-rooted family bonds are still holding and anchoring the society despite decades of the ensuing conflict. The country has one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations with approximately 63% of them (27.5 million) below 25 years of age and 46% (11.7 million) under 15 years of age, according to the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA).

- Retired grandfather supporting family of 21

As per the latest UN figures, over 100,000 more Afghans have been internally displaced due to raging conflict this year alone, and with nearly 12 million people in acute food insecurity, Afghanistan remains extremely vulnerable as up to 90% of the population requiring food assistance and medical attention.

Army veteran Gula Jan’s mud house in the informal settlement in eastern Kabul is home to four families that heavily rely on him. Among them are three of his married daughters and their families, one of his married sons and his family, and four of his own teenage children. “This is all I can do, provide them shelter and we share whatever food we get,” the tall old men with shining white beards and mustaches told Anadolu Agency.

Hardly able to walk on his own, 73-year-old Jan with his meager pension and some additional income by his sons-in-law, who work as daily laborers, has been looking after this extended family of 21 people including four women and nine babies.

“My daughters were living in Laghman [eastern province bordering capital Kabul], but they had to flee for their lives, there is war there now, day and night," the evidently baffled Jan said referring to the surging Taliban assaults on a number of Afghan security check posts resulting in the fall of Dawlat Shah district and a number of villages around the provincial capital Mehtarlam.

Jan, who has seen all the highs and lows of war-ravaged Afghanistan in his over 40 years of military service, said what hurt him most is the uncertain fate of his grandchildren. “The ongoing war has led to circumstances when earning enough to feed these children is not safe," he said pointing to babies sitting next to him.

In a flash update, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs by the UN said last week that the number of displaced persons in Laghman province bordering Kabul has surged to 14,000, who need urgent humanitarian aid.

On his first trip to the country last month, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou dubbed the situation to be at a “critical and historical juncture.”

- COVID-19 adds woes

With its already fragile health system further stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdown measures to control its spread have furthered the economic vulnerability of already impoverished households, the UN has warned, adding that this has exposed families to a heightened risk of exploitation and abuse, as well as increasing the likelihood of adopting negative coping mechanisms, particularly in families where daily labor is the only source of income.

Auto mechanic Heleem Gul and his disabled brother Haji Baqi live together with their families comprising 15 people, including their ailing parents. Despite being younger, Gul bores the brunt of economic hardships caused by the pandemic and other factors.

“By Allah's grace, life is moving now, but when the virus [COVID-19] was at its peak and the government imposed lockdown, all business were closed for weeks and we had no income," he said while explaining the inability of his elder brother to work after losing a leg to a landmine blast in Logar province and his nephew’s failed attempt to migrate to Europe via Iran and Turkey.

“Our family had high hopes for Rehmanullah [his 17-year-old nephew] to reach London, however, he was captured, tortured and deported by the Iranian border guards," Gul said while fixing an old car for a customer.

“But, it was Allah’s will; we are living together and bracing for all good and bad times together,” he added while responding to a question on how finances are managed by a single earner in such a large family.

The relentless fighting in Afghanistan has, analysts believe, fractured the social fabric, destabilized development efforts, and left the majority of people impoverished.

Wiyaar Ahmedzay, a former deputy presidential candidate and local community leader in the informal settlements, told Anadolu Agency that many such families are facing difficult times as job opportunities have shrunk and violence has increased due to the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.

“During the pandemic, the government launched a program to dig trenches for water preservation on the outskirts of Kabul, and I saw thousands of old and young man, including highly educated and illiterate, who applied for the sake of support of their families," he said.

In his views, the devastated bond between parents and children is still keeping Afghan society intact despite decades of raging war.