KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations says the Taliban have issued at least 470 decrees since taking power in Afghanistan in August 2021, many of which have had direct or indirect consequences for humanitarian operations.
In a report released on Tuesday (December 30), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 79 of these decrees specifically target women and girls, restricting their freedom of movement and their participation in education, employment, the economy and public life.
According to OCHA, these restrictions include bans on secondary, higher, and medical education for women and girls, the enforcement of strict dress codes, and prohibitions on women working for non-governmental organizations.
The agency said the measures have profoundly altered Afghanistan’s socio-economic landscape and have significantly reduced women’s access to livelihoods and essential services.
OCHA also warned that restrictions imposed on women have increased the risks of gender-based violence, psychosocial distress, and the use of harmful coping mechanisms.
The report added that in 2025, intensified enforcement of existing directives, alongside newly imposed restrictions targeting women and girls, has further marginalized them.
The most recent escalation in 2025, OCHA said, was the ban on female staff from working at United Nations offices, a move that has effectively disrupted the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
