Digital Abuse Is Curtailing Afghan Women’s Opportunities, Says UN
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says digital violence is limiting Afghan women’s access to education, markets and economic opportunities.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says digital violence is limiting Afghan women’s access to education, markets and economic opportunities.
As part of the annual “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, the agency says a safe digital environment is essential for women’s participation in agriculture, livelihoods and a sustainable food system.
Kobra Hosseini, a gender specialist at the FAO office in Afghanistan, said digital violence was not merely an online threat but a barrier preventing Afghan women from accessing education, markets and their future.
Benazir Yakta, head of a dried-fruit company in Kabul, said rural women and girls lose essential opportunities for empowerment and economic sustainability when they lack access to safe digital information and training.
This year’s global campaign focuses on combating digital violence against women. The United Nations has warned that digital abuse is rising at an alarming rate. World Bank data shows that about 40 percent of countries have no laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyberstalking.
As a result, roughly 44 percent of women, around 1.8 billion people, remain without legal protection.
