Civilian casualties in Afghanistan witnessed a sharp rise since peace negotiations started in September last year, even though overall deaths and injuries dropped in 2020, compared to the previous year, according to a UN human rights report launched Tuesday. 

A mother in Afghanistan has been talking about the hopes and fears for her unborn daughter in a country where the birth of a girl can often be a curse rather than a blessing. Women and girls, in particular, often suffer abuse at the hands of men in a male-driven society where boys are sometimes valued above girls.