KABUL – The UN Women office in Afghanistan has raised alarm over the growing risk of maternal mortality, warning that early marriages and teenage pregnancies are increasing under Taliban rule.
In a post on X on Sunday, September 7, the agency said that four years after the Taliban’s return to power, the health and rights of Afghan women remain in a state of crisis.
“Women are living shorter, less healthy lives,” the agency reported. “Maternal mortality risks are rising, especially with high rates of adolescent births linked to child marriage. And most women cannot make decisions about their own health – those choices are often left to male relatives.”
The agency highlighted the psychological impact of Taliban restrictions, noting that confinement to the home has created a mental health emergency.
“Limited access to physical activity, community and emotional support has triggered a mental health crisis among women and girls, who report rising levels of anxiety, hopelessness and despair,” it said.
Since seizing Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban has barred girls from secondary and higher education, excluded women from most jobs, and banned their presence in parks, gyms, and public spaces.
Rights organizations say these restrictions not only strip women of basic freedoms but also carry life-threatening consequences.
In a recent assessment, UN Women projected that if the ban on girls’ education continues until 2026, Afghanistan will see a 25 percent rise in child marriages, a 45 percent increase in teenage pregnancies, and at least a 50 percent surge in maternal deaths.
The country’s worsening economic crisis has further compounded the situation, pushing families to marry off daughters at a young age or, in extreme cases, sell children to survive.
Women’s rights advocates have urged the international community to step up efforts to support Afghan women, warning that inaction will lead to a deepening humanitarian and public health disaster.
