Why is Afghanistan The World’s Unhappiest Country?

A virtual discussion on Twitter Space with the theme “Afghanistan is the saddest country in the world” was conducted on Sunday night by Khaama Press News Agency to discuss the findings of the American Gallup Institute.

This organization, which each year compiles a ranking of the world’sworld’s happiest and saddest countries, reported in its most recent study that 98 per cent of the people in Afghanistan experience mental and emotional sadness. Afghanistan has been described as the saddest country in the world. 

According to the Gallup survey, most Afghans are disappointed with their living conditions and have described it as “complete suffering.”

Abdul Subhan Misbah, Deputy of the Lawyers Union of Afghanistan and Former Chairman of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR), said that given the current situation in Afghanistan, it is possible to describe people’speople’s misery without giving a report. In a country without a constitution, and when the issues are not managed in accordance with it, there is no doubt that the level of life satisfaction and happiness is low.

Misbah added that the people of Afghanistan could have had a better situation in the last 20 to 40 years. However, for two years, crises, including political illegitimacy, economic crisis, and lack of access to justice, have caused a lack of services to the people. 

In addition to the political and economic crisis after the fall of the Republic and the re-establishment of the Taliban-led government, the most significant blow to the judiciary was the opening of the prison gates and the release of the inmates, as well as the retirement of the experienced judges in the country.

He also added, in the current situation, most of the fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression, work, access to education and health services and most of the rights that were foreseen in the Constitution, have been generally denied or a restriction has been imposed on which people are severely affected and suffered.

As a result, these factors caused dissatisfaction among the people, which continues. So, without creating a legitimate system of government based on the Constitution, the situation will not change, and the level of people’speople’s satisfaction will not increase.

On the other hand, he continued by saying that the current regime of the Taliban pledged to provide justice, but it can be seen that the present policies and practices are against justice. However, according to Mr Misbah, awareness is not the main factor in providing justice in society, but the political will of the rulers plays a significant role in this regard. He added: “In the current situation, the judicial system is deliberately biased towards the negative side.”

Maryam Maarouf Arvin, the head of the Purple Saturdays movement and the second speaker of the Gallup report review virtual meeting said that although problems such as insecurity, unemployment, and economic poverty have been a part of people’speople’s lives for the past twenty years, what is unique to the two-year presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan is the discussion of ” desire ” and hope.”

Mrs Arvin added that people can fight against problems, disturbances and inequalities when they have hope for the future. However, during the past two years, this hope has been taken away from the people of Afghanistan, especially women. 

He also asserted, “When the sense of ownership is taken away from people, you will be considered as a second-class gender or a second-class citizen, and all of the most basic rights (going to school and university, the right to work, going to sports and recreation) will be taken away from you. You do not have the smallest position in the government cabinet, you are not involved in the decisions, and those in power call women men’smen’s farms. In such a situation, how is it possible that you have the slightest desire to have a country, and in such a situation, don’tdon’t you be sad?”

Maryam Arvin added that the most apparent factor in such a situation during the past two years is that people forgot to have hope, and even their main desire is to have a bite of bread. She says the situation is “a great tragedy and a great pain” for Afghan women and society.

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