Over 500,000 jobs lost in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover, women worst hit
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A report by UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed that ever since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, over half a million people have lost their jobs. Women have been hit especially hard. It is further expected that by the middle of this year, job losses will increase to nearly 700,000. Women employment levels have seen a dip of over 16 per cent in the third quarter of 2021. Also, they are expected to fall by between 21 per cent and 28 per cent by mid-2022. The worsening situation may impact child labour levels in the country. Only 40 per cent of children aged 5-17 years old attend school. As per ILO, there are more than 770,000 boys and about 300,000 girls involved in child labour. Earlier, the UN had warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of 'universal poverty'. UN special envoy Deborah Lyons asked world leaders to come together and help Afghanistan from falling into extreme poverty. "The economy must be allowed to breathe for a few more months, giving the Taliban a chance to demonstrate flexibility and a genuine will to do things differently this time, notably from a human rights, gender, and counter-terrorism perspective," Lyons said.