KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s newly enacted morality law has intensified pressure on women in Afghanistan, leaving them feeling more hopeless, depressed, and angry, according to the UN refugee agency.
In a report on World Mental Health Day, October 10, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that the Taliban’s restrictive measures have created an overwhelming sense of fear and psychological distress among Afghan women.
A female health worker told the UN agency that she observed a 50% increase in the number of women seeking help for mental health issues.
She attributed the significant increase to the Taliban’s escalating restrictions, high rates of domestic violence, and the deteriorating economic situation in Afghanistan.
A 25-year-old woman, who attended UNHCR’s counseling sessions to overcome her depression and fear, told the agency, “I had dreamt of finishing my higher education so I could look after the family and pay for our expenses, but when the Taliban came, I lost everything [and] my psychological problems started.”
Marking World Mental Health Day, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, stated that Afghans, particularly women and girls, are facing a devastating mental health crisis due to the Taliban’s extreme measures.
“As we commemorate World Mental Health Day, I want to draw attention to the devastating mental health crisis faced by Afghans, especially women & girls, due to the Taliban’s (IEA) alarming & extreme policies.” Amiri wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“We must all be resolute in supporting them in the struggle for their rights,” she added.
Life under Taliban rule has been challenging for all Afghans, especially for women and girls, and the regime’s new law, recently approved by its hardline supreme leader, has further exacerbated the situation, reminiscent of their first rule in Afghanistan.
The 35-article morality law requires women to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, when outside the home. It also prohibits them from speaking or reading aloud in public, using public transportation alone, or looking at men who are not immediate family members.
Last year, UN agencies, including UN Women, reported that the Taliban’s harsh measures on women have worsened the mental health of women and girls, with nearly 70% experiencing anxiety, isolation, and depression.
The UN agency highlighted that Afghan women are facing psychological issues such as insomnia, loss of hope and motivation, fear, aggression, isolation, increasingly withdrawn behavior, and suicidal thoughts.
