Five years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, women and girls have been systematically stripped of their rights through more than 100 decrees issued by de facto authorities, UN agencies said on Wednesday. The restrictions target education, work and freedom of movement and are being compounded by deep cuts to aid on the ground.
The exclusion of women and girls from education, employment, public life, justice systems and healthcare has intensified over the past year, entrenching what UN Women called the "world's most severe women's rights crisis." Shorter life expectancy, higher risks of maternal death, child marriage and gender-based violence have accompanied the loss of education, work and freedom of movement, triggering a mental health crisis, the agency said.
According to UN Women data, half of Afghan women interviewed leave home only once or twice a month because of severe restrictions on their movement and access to public spaces. More women are also reporting feeling unsafe leaving home without a male guardian.
As of 2026, an estimated 2.4 million girls remain excluded from secondary education, reversing two decades of progress in expanding education access. Afghanistan is the only country in the world to formally prohibit access to education for girls and women beyond the primary level, UNESCO said. Barred from secondary school and university and excluded from most paid work, women also face legal barriers to protect them against all forms of violence, the agency added.
Nearly three-quarters of women-led organizations surveyed in Afghanistan experienced funding cuts in 2025, UN Women reported. UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan Bruno Lemarquis warned that funding gaps could force health centre closures, "leaving thousands of mothers and newborns vulnerable to preventable complications and death." The UN World Food Programme warned separately that funding cuts will affect food deliveries to hungry Afghans at a time when a hunger crisis is affecting 14 million people.
