Afghanistan

Since August 2021, more than 100 Taliban edicts and directives have been passed, which restrict Afghan women from almost every aspect of society, including education, employment, travel, and recreation. This includes the prohibition of education for girls over the age of 12, banning women from public and private universities, preventing men from teaching girls, and forcing female students to cover their faces in the classroom. Preventing girls from studying chokes the pipeline of women equipped to serve in the few jobs still open to them, most notably in Afghanistan’s severely under-resourced healthcare system. Women seeking healthcare without a male guardian are refused treatment, while 200 healthcare facilities shut down in Afghanistan as a direct result of the US funding freeze, further exacerbating women’s limited access to medical care. The Taliban’s ban on girls’ education has also spurred a 25 percent increase in child marriage and a 45 percent increase in early childbearing—risk factors for increased domestic violence, health complications, and poverty. Women who speak out against repression, experience sexual violence, or flee domestic violence face arrest, corporal punishment, and even execution. Since August 2021, reporting intimate partner violence or other forms of domestic violence has become ‘nearly impossible’ and potentially life-threatening, while women are now virtually unable to secure divorces even in cases of abuse. Women and girls, however, continue to resist Taliban repression through secret and online schools, sports, social media advocacy, and coalition building. 

Safe spaces, education access, and other resources for women and girls have been decimated by US foreign aid cuts. Women and girls across the diaspora are also now being forcibly returned to Afghanistan. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans in the US terminated on July 14, 2025, while Pakistan, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates have forced or coerced hundreds of thousands of Afghans to return. As a result, Afghan women—including female lawyers, judges, US military collaborators, and NGO workers now hunted by the Taliban—are being forced to return despite continued reprisal attacks and the inability to secure housing or income without a male guardian. Russia became the first country to normalize relations with the Taliban on July 3, 2025, raising concerns about increased legitimation of their regime. Yet, efforts to recognize and condemn discrimination and abuse by the Taliban persist. Afghan women are leading a campaign for the recognition of gender apartheid as a violation of international law, with the United Nations General Assembly’s Sixth (Legal) Committee convening in October 2025 to decide whether formal negotiations for a proposed treaty on crimes against humanity can proceed. The International Criminal Court also issued arrest warrants on July 8, 2025, for Taliban officials, alleging gender persecution, and there is discussion of a possible International Court of Justice case brought by third-party states; it remains to be seen whether these cases will proceed and to what extent they can tangibly impact the lives of Afghan women and girls.

Nine in ten households in high-return areas—or areas absorbing the 2.5 million Afghans forcibly returned from neighboring countries in 2025—must reduce their meals, borrow money, or sell assets amid rising hunger and strained aid infrastructure. Women-headed households are particularly vulnerable due to restrictions on employment and mobility, while worsening poverty and food insecurity increase girls’ risk of child marriage. 

Talks aiming to quell months of deadly clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan broke down in October 2025, putting civilians at risk of further violence. Taliban restrictions exacerbate the dangers stemming from conflict by impeding women and girls from fleeing during airstrikes and accessing medical care. Although the countries agreed to an immediate ceasefire on October 19, 2025, continued violence and the inability to find a lasting solution raise doubts about a permanent cessation of hostilities.

As of November 5, 2025, Taliban authorities in the city of Herat are requiring female patients, staff, and guests to wear a burka in order to enter medical facilities. Hospital admissions have since declined, and such restrictions will continue to impede women’s access to timely healthcare, particularly during emergencies. 

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan on November 3, 2025—the latest in a series of deadly quakes which have devastated communities and further disadvantaged women and girls who are often unable to access resources due to Taliban restrictions. Repeated earthquakes—frequently in areas already receiving Afghan returnees—further strain limited humanitarian aid access, with three quarters of Afghan households on average reporting they received no aid in the last year. 

The UN paused operations at the Islam Qala border crossing with Iran—the main arrival point for Afghans returning to the country—in response to the Taliban’s ban on female aid workers. The suspension jeopardizes access to resources for Afghans expelled from Iran, nearly two-thirds of whom are women and children. This follows the closure of eight centers supporting Afghan refugees forcibly returned from Pakistan also in response to the ban. 

The UN Secretary-General has not yet appointed a new head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), despite the former head’s tenure ending in September 2025. UNAMA is the only conduit between Afghanistan and the multilateral system and remains vital to monitoring escalating human rights abuses against women and girls and facilitating aid access.

More than two dozen survivors of Taliban repression testified during tribunal hearings from October 8-10—an opportunity for the official recognition and documentation of their suffering. Although its conclusions are not legally binding, the tribunal concluded that the Taliban was responsible for crimes against humanity of gender persecution and issued indictments for ten Taliban authorities. Two of those indicted are already subject to warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.

On October 6, 2026, the UN Human Rights Council initiated a new independent investigation into violations in Afghanistan, including those targeting women and girls. Findings will help preserve evidence of violations and support independent criminal proceedings.