The UN reported Monday that violence in Afghanistan has injured health and education personnel, reducing available health care and restricting children’s’ access to fundamental health and educational services. The study [text, PDF], prepared by UNICEF and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) [official websites], was complied over the course of three years and notes that there had been a distinct increase in the number of threats and obstacles placed in children’s’ educational and medical paths as a result of the significant conflict. The report concludes with several recommendations to enable children’s unimpeded access to education and health care.

Human rights groups have criticized Afghanistan’s record in recent years. UNAMA reported in February [text] that civilian casualties in Afghanistan had reached a record high of 11,000 in 2015. Last year the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an investigation [JURIST report] into the Kunduz hospital attack and for the results of an investigation to be made public. UNAMA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] also released a report [JURIST report] urging Afghanistan to strengthen its criminal justice system to protect women from domestic violence. Last April an Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] report stated [JURIST report] that Afghanistan women’s rights activists are facing increased violence and a lack of governmental support. In March of last year UNAMA also released a report [JURIST report] indicating a 22 percent increase in civilian causalities in 2014, making 2014 the deadliest year in Afghanistan since 2009.