Women in Afghanistan are urging the international community to exert pressure on the Taliban to reverse their restrictive policies towards women and girls, as revealed by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday, December 12.
The report titled “Situation of Afghan Women,” jointly conducted by UNAMA, UN Women, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is based on in-person and online consultations and telesurveys with 462 women across 33 provinces in Afghanistan.
According to the report, women have underscored education and employment as key factors influencing households and community-wide decision-making. The report reads, “Access to education and employment were seen as key to addressing wide-ranging issues, including the growing mental health crisis among women and girls, as well as negative outcomes associated with poverty and girls leaving school, such as early and child marriage, child labor, domestic violence, and illegal migration.”
Over the past year, women have reported a decline in their influence within both households and communities. According to the report, in the last 10 months alone, the proportion of women reporting “good” or “full” influence in households decreased from 90% in January to 39% in November. Community influence dropped from 17% to 5%.
Despite the Taliban’s initial promise to respect women’s rights upon seizing power, the group has significantly cracked down on women and girls over the past two years. The group has imposed restrictions on women’s movements, and denied them education, employment, social mobility, and other freedoms, making Afghanistan the only country in the world that bans girls and women from education under the pretext of Sharia law and cultural norms. The Taliban regime, unrecognized by any country, faces international condemnation for its drastic gender policies. The international community and the UN have made women’s rights to education one of the sticking points for the isolated Taliban’s inclusion in the global community.
While the report paints a contrasting picture of women’s experiences under tightened restrictions in Afghanistan, with 48% feeling stricter enforcement and 32% perceiving a slight easing, it underscores a concerning fragility in women’s mental health, with 76% characterizing their well-being as either “very bad” or “bad.”
Recent humanitarian crises, including earthquakes in western Herat province and the forced deportation of refugees from Pakistan, have disproportionately affected women and girls in Afghanistan. The report attributes this disproportionate impact to a combination of restrictive gender norms, limited access to education and healthcare, insufficient resources and livelihood opportunities, and restricted avenues to influence decision-making.
In response to these challenges, Afghan women have called on the international community to pressure the Taliban by linking aid to improved conditions for women and facilitating direct communication opportunities between women and Taliban authorities. Additionally, they urge the UN and international representatives to initiate talks with the Taliban aimed at reversing restrictions and advocating for women’s rights. The report concludes by emphasizing the critical importance of international support for women’s economic empowerment to address poverty, mental health issues, and enhance women’s influence and access to decision-making.
