Afghan girl found sleeping on the side of the road gets temporary shelter amid ‘child protection crisis’

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A young girl has been found sleeping on the side of a road and has been offered temporary housing amid what the United Nations is warning of a “child protection crisis” in Afghanistan.

Aisha, reported by ITV News last week, is one of about 10 million Afghan children highlighted by UNICEF, the United Nations aid agency for children, as in dire need of humanitarian aid.

Ayesha was caught to the public’s attention for the first time after she was photographed sleeping alone on a street in Kabul. She said that she was five years old and that her parents had passed away, but it was difficult to establish any facts about her life.

Aisha collected and sold plastic bottles in an attempt to earn money

It is known that, far from any family ties, she was collecting plastic and selling it for money. She was received by a local family for the time being, although she is very poor.

As district after district fell to the Taliban during August, Save the Children said, of the 72,000 children who left their homes and fled to Kabul, just until the insurgents took control of the capital. Like Aisha, many of these children were unaccompanied.

The footage of Aisha sleeping on the side of the road grabbed the attention of the public

UNICEF has estimated that due to food shortages, one million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the course of this year. The charity added that these children may die without treatment.

Sam Mort, of UNICEF Afghanistan, said: “Aisha’s story is heartbreaking, but what is most heartbreaking is that she is not alone.

“We don’t even know how many children like her are out, vulnerable, facing all kinds of dangers across Afghanistan right now.”

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