KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says Afghan women are nearly four times less likely than men to have access to formal justice mechanisms in the country.
UNAMA released the findings of the report on Sunday (March 8) to mark International Women’s Day. The report is based on in-person and online consultations with Afghan women.
According to the UN mission, the findings highlight a significant gap in access to justice that leaves many women without safe avenues to claim their rights, seek protection, or report abuse.
UNAMA said the lack of access to formal justice mechanisms further deepens the crisis for women and girls, who are already facing a range of restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
“When large segments of society face barriers to resolving disputes or seeking protection, it weakens trust in institutions and leaves communities and individuals more vulnerable,” said Georgette Gagnon, Officer in Charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan.
Susan Ferguson, head of UN Women in Afghanistan, also said that access to justice is a fundamental right necessary to ensure women’s safety and dignity.
“When women are excluded from justice institutions, it undermines their safety, autonomy and their few remaining opportunities to seek help outside of the home. This is especially important for women experiencing domestic violence.”
The new report was prepared based on interviews conducted by UN Women and the International Organization for Migration with Afghan women in December 2025.
According to the report, more than half of the women interviewed said access to formal justice mechanisms had worsened over the past year.
UNAMA said women largely attributed the situation to Taliban actions, including the suspension of key institutions and mechanisms such as the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the removal of women professionals from the legal sector, and the loss of many service centers dedicated to supporting women.
The UN mission also said the Taliban’s penal code for courts has created additional barriers for women seeking protection and accountability through the justice system.
UNAMA added that reliance on informal mechanisms for dispute resolution, such as local jirgas and councils traditionally composed of male community elders, further limits women’s ability to pursue justice and ensure their protection.
According to the report, both women and men interviewed called for measures including strengthening institutional mechanisms to protect women’s access to justice, restoring women-centered and women-led dispute resolution mechanisms such as special women’s committees at the community level, supporting confidential counseling services, and establishing support centers to provide legal, psychological, and protection services for women.
Since returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s fundamental freedoms and barred them from education and many forms of work.
The group has also imposed extensive limits on women’s presence in public life and has banned their voices from being heard outside the home.
The Taliban have further dismantled legal mechanisms specifically designed to support and protect women, as well as institutions that previously advocated for women’s rights.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and HRW, along with Afghan civil society groups and activists, have repeatedly pushed for an international accountability mechanism. They argue it should be mandated to investigate violations, collect and preserve evidence, and lay the groundwork for potential prosecutions of serious crimes.
Gender-based violence remains a serious concern. While authorities claim to have resolved hundreds of women’s rights-related cases, UNAMA documented numerous incidents of forced marriage, including cases involving girls under 18. In one reported incident, a girl was detained by police on the order of a court after refusing a forced marriage and remains in detention, in violation of existing decrees prohibiting such practices.
