Afghanistan, April 15 -- UN Women said in a new report that fewer than one in five women returning to Afghanistan are able to earn income, with just 17% currently employed.
The report warns that low employment rates among returnee women risk worsening household debt and food insecurity, particularly in families headed by women facing severe economic hardship.
Despite gaining skills abroad, many women returning from Iran and Pakistan face a near-total collapse of job opportunities, with around 40% unable to use their professional, technical, or digital skills.
More than three-quarters of women who worked in Iran and nearly two-thirds from Pakistan are now unemployed, reflecting structural barriers to women's participation in the Afghanist...