KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says that 15,000 women and girls in Afghanistan are suffering from obstetric fistula.
In a post published today (Saturday, May 23) to mark the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, the organization said that Afghanistan ranks as the fifth-highest country in the world for cases of the condition.
UNFPA said the condition causes disability and social isolation, and that its prevention and treatment require access to healthcare services, safe surgery, and essential medical supplies.
Obstetric fistula is a severe and distressing childbirth injury that can result in an abnormal opening between the birth canal and rectum, which can often lead to infection. In severe cases, it may cause heavy bleeding, coma, or even infertility.
A source familiar with the situation told KabulNow that the highest number of cases of obstetric fistula are found in the provinces of Khost, Ghor, Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Daikundi. The Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health has stated that the program for treating normal fistula is partly active in Kabul, but the treatment of obstetric fistula has ceased entirely.
Dr Nafisa Sahak, a public health official, has called obstetric fistula a “silent disaster.” She said that although the condition is treatable, it isolates patients and even causes them to be rejected by their families.
Obstetric fistula and other birth defects are a common and serious problem for women, especially those living in remote areas without access to health services. In Afghanistan, an estimated 1,500 women between the ages of 15 and 49 are affected by obstetric fistula each year.
The Taliban Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF report that over 1.2 million births are registered annually in Afghanistan. Of these, approximately 36,000 mothers suffer from obstetric fistula or other birth complications.
A source from the Taliban Ministry of Public Health has stated that the increasing prevalence of obstetric fistula is due to a lack of obstetrics and gynecology specialists, inadequate health services in medical centers, distance from medical centers, home births, and women’s lack of access to healthcare.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed widespread restrictions on fundamental freedoms and women’s rights. The group has even banned women from studying in medical institutes and has instructed healthcare centers in some provinces not to treat women without a male guardian.
Additionally, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities in Afghanistan had been banned, as restrictions on women and humanitarian access had intensified across the country.
The agency noted that women, who were heavily reliant on these community-based services, were disproportionately affected by their suspension, further limiting their access to essential support.
The report stated that although women were formally allowed to visit healthcare facilities, in some areas they had been required to be accompanied by a male guardian.
It also highlighted additional restrictions, including difficulties in obtaining work permits for health and education staff, limits on female health workers’ use of mobile phones, and increasing interference with humanitarian operations. Aid workers had reportedly faced harassment, temporary detention, and demands for additional documentation at checkpoints, while house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns had not been permitted.
UN experts, international rights groups, and activists have described the Taliban’s systematic oppression of women as “gender apartheid,” an institutionalized system that subjugates women solely because of their gender. Despite international pressure, including from Muslim-majority countries and global organizations, the Taliban have refused to reverse the restrictions, leaving millions uncertain about their future.
The UN and rights groups emphasize that Afghanistan’s development and prosperity are closely tied to women’s participation in education, work, and public life. Restricting these opportunities not only violates basic human rights but also hampers economic growth, innovation, and the country’s ability to recover from decades of conflict.
