Afghans fleeing war find misery in urban slums.

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Some 500,000 Afghans who fled fighting have been abandoned to starvation and death as they subsist in makeshift shelters. They have been let down by their government and international donors, according to a report by Amnesty International, London, England.

At least 28 children died in the harsh winter conditions in the camps around Kabul. The Afghan government estimates more than 40 people have frozen to death in camps across the country. "Thousands of people are finding themselves living in freezing, cramped conditions and on the brink of starvation, while the Afghan government is not only looking the other way but even preventing help from reaching them," maintains researcher Horia Mosadiq.

"Women and girls disproportionately bear the consequences of displacement," relates Cristina Finch, Amnesty International USA's women's policy director. "They face an increased risk of sexual violence, which is often compounded...