Four years since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, waves of directives have stripped Afghan women and girls of their rights and dignity. These restrictions are not temporary; not one has been reversed. The Taliban is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life. The most severe women’s rights crisis in the world is at risk of becoming normalised.
Girls are banned from school after the age of about 13. Women are barred from most jobs, from political life and, in many parts of the country, can’t walk on the streets unaccompanied by men. Most women can’t even make decisions within their own households.
Bans on women studying medicine in universities, and on women being treated by male doctors in some parts of the country – as well as foreign aid cuts – mean that more women are not getting the medical care they need.
The results are devastating. Women are living shorter, less healthy lives. Maternal mortality risks and child marriage rates are rising and violence against women is growing unchecked.
The state of women’s rights in Afghanistan has made it the country with the second-widest gender gap in the world (second only to Yemen). Overlapping humanitarian crises and poverty are making life even harder for everyone, especially women and girls.
Despite everything, hope endures. Afghan women and girls continue to show strength, resilience and courage. They believe that equality is possible. But they should not have to face these challenges alone while they fight to build a better Afghanistan for everyone.
The world must act now – not just to meet urgent needs, but to support Afghan women to build a generation’s future with equal rights for all women and girls. Silence is not an option. Solidarity is not optional.
Listen. Fund. Share. For ALL Women and Girls in Afghanistan.
Key facts on women’s rights in Afghanistan
78%
of young Afghan women are not in education, employment or training
50%
Maternal mortality could increase by more than 50% by 2026.
38%
of women feel they can influence decisions in their own households.
Read more about Afghan women
Help Afghan women and girls
Afghan women and girls are facing the most severe women’s rights crisis in the world.
Four years since the Taliban takeover, waves of restrictions have stripped them of their rights and dignity, and not one has been reversed.
UN Women is on the ground supporting Afghan women to meet urgent needs and to protect their rights. But we cannot do it without you.
Gender Index 2024: Afghanistan
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, UN Women has witnessed a deliberate and unprecedented assault on the rights, freedoms, and dignity of Afghan women and girls. UN Women’s 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index is the most comprehensive assessment of women’s empowerment and gender parity in the country since that turning point.
