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UN agency heads are calling for emergency support to stem the crisis, as a separate report details serious human rights violations \u2013 from public floggings to a new ban on demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Record acute malnutrition levels for the August\u2013October period have seen hunger levels grow for millions of Afghans \u2013 according to the\u00a0Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global initiative aimed at informing decisions based on five phases of food security.<\/p>\n
Economic pressures are straining households nationwide, contributing to more than 32 per cent of the population facing crisis-level acute food insecurity phase three<\/em> or above, including 3.4 million people experiencing emergency phase four conditions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The current deterioration is driven by disease outbreaks and inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, compounded by sharply reduced access to nutrition services, the report found.<\/p>\n The situation is expected to worsen from November to April during the winter lean season, when nearly 19.2 million people are projected to face phase three or above, including five million people in emergency food insecurity conditions.<\/p>\n Acute malnutrition is also set to grow significantly, with 4.04 million children under age five projected to need treatment between January and December 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough improved rainfall and better agricultural production have supported food availability, declining humanitarian assistance is reducing households\u2019 ability to cope,\u201d the report warned.<\/p>\n The World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a stark message on Thursday, calling for urgent funding to scale up food assistance, emergency agricultural support and malnutrition prevention and treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have a window to act, but it is closing fast,\u201d WFP country director John Aylieff said. \u201cWith urgent support, families can get through the winter with dignity. Without it, many will face impossible choices no parent should have to make.\u201d<\/p>\n FAO representative Richard Trenchard said families need opportunities to earn a dependable living that \u201chelps them withstand the next shock\u201d and support to get through this winter.<\/p>\n The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Thursday reported the continued erosion of basic human rights across the country between July and September, with women and girls bearing the brunt of restrictions imposed by Taliban authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Girls\u2019 school ban:\u00a0<\/strong>Girls remain barred from formal education beyond grade six. Asked about the ban, a Taliban spokesperson said that \u201cproblems and considerations\u201d had to be taken into account from the perspective of Sharia law.<\/p>\n Women arrested, detained or cautioned<\/strong>: UNAMA documented more than 50 cases related to the hijab, mostly in Herat and Kabul. In one case, a 13-year-old girl was held overnight. Women were also blocked from entering health clinics and markets without a male guardian, or mahram<\/em>.<\/p>\n Arbitrary arrests and detentions<\/strong>: The mission recorded at least 443 cases and 97 incidents of ill-treatment by virtue and vice inspectors over offences including hijab violations, trimmed beards, skipped prayers and listening to music.\u00a0<\/p>\nSet to worsen<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u2018A window to act\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Crackdown on women, media, civic space\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Key observations<\/strong><\/h3>\n