Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for a child to grow up. Many children are engaged in hazardous and illegal work, excluded from education, forced into early marriage, inappropriately placed in institutional care, or trafficked for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The cumulative effects of war, poverty, and displacement continue to erode community coping mechanisms, and increasing numbers of children are subject to greater and greater risks. Afghanistan ranks among the lowest countries in the world for every indicator of child survival and development.
However, Afghanistan does not yet have an established system of social services designed support vulnerable children and families. There is an urgent need to develop a robust and effective system for family support and child protection. In May 2006, the Ministry of Labour Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD), supported by UNICEF, launched the National Strategy for Children at-risk (NSFCAR). The NSFCAR provides a road map for building a sustainable community based child protection and family support system. It outlines a vision for the network of services, policies, and programmes necessary to protect children at risk and enable them to reach their full potential free from violence, exploitation, and abuse.
Afghanistan faces a crucial need to develop an institutionalized service delivery system to support vulnerable children and families, to meet objectives set in the NSFCAR, and to fulfil obligations under the CRC. The realization of an effective system is a long and involved process, demanding commitment from all key stakeholders at the level of community, government, NGOs, and UN agencies. Recent achievements including the evolution of CPAN, reforms to the Juvenile Justice system, increasing capacity among participants in the social work coaching project, and growing awareness around child protection issues indicate a shift towards that commitment. Future success depends critically on the development of a comprehensive Child Act, minimum standards of care for children in institutions, national occupational standards for social work, and a cadre of trained and competent social workers and care workers with the skills necessary to address child protection issues.
