{"id":59987,"date":"2025-08-11T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/four-years-on-heres-what-total-exclusion-of-women-in-afghanistan-looks-like\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:00:00","slug":"four-years-on-heres-what-total-exclusion-of-women-in-afghanistan-looks-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=59987","title":{"rendered":"Four years on, here\u2019s what total exclusion of women in Afghanistan looks like"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Four years after Taliban fighters retook the capital Kabul on 15 August 2021, gender equality agency UN Women is warning that the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is increasingly untenable. \u00a0<\/p>\n

And without urgent action, this untenable reality will become normalised and women and girls will be fully excluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Taliban is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life<\/strong>,\u201d UN women said in a press release on Monday.<\/p>\n

UN Women\u2019s warning came just as the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released its latest report on the human rights situation between May and June, detailing harshening enforcement of regulations against women and death threats against female humanitarians. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A society which is against them<\/h2>\n

The edicts which the Taliban have passed restricting women and girls\u2019 rights interact together to create an inescapable cycle which relegates women to private spaces and increases their vulnerability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In most cases, including for humanitarian workers, women are not allowed to move freely in public without being accompanied by a mahram<\/em>, or a male guardian.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In its report, UNAMA noted a change in the enforcement of mahram<\/em> requirements, with the de facto Taliban authorities instructing private businesses and health clinics to refuse services to all women who were not accompanied by a mahram<\/em>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In certain regions, the authorities have also begun to strictly enforce hijab regulations, including by requiring women to wear a chador<\/em>, a full body covering. In Herat, if they were not doing so, women are being banned from public spaces. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Out of opportunities\u00a0<\/h2>\n

In addition to impeding women’s movements in public spaces, the Taliban has also banned women and girls from secondary and higher education. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Taken together, these two edicts have profound ramifications at all levels of society. Now, not only is it functionally impossible for women to receive educational degrees, it is also unduly difficult for them to get jobs and enter into training programmes. \u00a0<\/p>\n

As a result, over 78 per cent of Afghan women are not in education, employment or training.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This means that almost half of the work force is not contributing to the economy in measurable ways, a huge problem for a country whose economy has been devastated by sanctions and climate shocks.<\/p>\n

UNAMA\u2019s report noted that the de facto authorities continue to affirm that Islam permits women to work \u2013 even as other edicts seem to discourage it. \u00a0<\/p>\n

An unhealthy cycle<\/h2>\n

But it\u2019s not just the economy which is suffering. In some cases, these edicts can literally be a matter of life or death.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results are devastating. Women are living shorter, less healthy lives<\/strong>,\u201d the UN agency said.<\/p>\n

Take healthcare for instance. If women are not allowed to enter higher education, they cannot become doctors. And if women are banned from receiving treatment from male doctors \u2013 which they are in certain regions \u2013 they cannot expect to live healthy lives. \u00a0<\/p>\n

UN Women estimates that impediments to receiving healthcare for women in Afghanistan will increase maternal mortality by 50 per cent by 2026. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Child marriage is also becoming more common, and women are increasingly subjected to violence, inside and outside of their homes. In some cases, de facto authorities were the ones involved in or enforcing forced marriages. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Solidarity in Afghanistan<\/h2>\n

It is not just in public that women\u2019s voices are being excluded \u2013 62 per cent of women feel that they cannot even influence decisions at home. This comes amidst a curtailing of expression rights more generally, with many private media outlets closing and social media accounts being monitored, according to the UNAMA report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UN Women emphasises that despite having little to hope for, Afghan women remain resilient. They continue to look for moments of solidarity and hope for a different future. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In May, some women working for the UN were subjected to explicit death threats in relation to their work, but they continue to deliver lifesaving and life-building services. \u00a0<\/p>\n

One woman whose grassroots leadership organization lost all of its funding in 2022 continues to work to support women in smaller ways. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI will continue to stand strong as a woman, supporting other Afghan women. I go to remote areas and collect [women\u2019s] stories, listen to their problems and this gives them hope. I try my best and that also gives me hope<\/strong>,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

A dangerous precedent<\/h2>\n

In total, since 2021, almost 100 edicts which restrict how women and girls move through society have been instituted and enforced. In four years, not a single one has been overturned. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Susan Ferguson, UN Women\u2019s representative in Afghanistan, said that this lack of progress must be understood beyond the Afghan context.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not only about the rights \u2013 and futures \u2013 of Afghan women and girls. It\u2019s about what we stand for as a global community,\u201d Ms. Ferguson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we allow Afghan women and girls to be silenced, we send a message that the rights of women and girls everywhere are disposable<\/strong>. And that\u2019s an immensely dangerous precedent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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