Five years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, women and girls have been systematically stripped of their rights, according to UN agencies.
The de facto authorities have issued more than 100 decrees restricting education, work, and freedom of movement. One such decree has excluded 2.4 million girls from secondary education. These unprecedented restrictions have triggered a mental health crisis and worsened what UN Women describes as the "world’s most severe women’s rights crisis."
In the past year alone, exclusion from education, employment, public life, justice systems, and healthcare has intensified. UN Women highlights devastating consequences including shorter life expectancy, higher risks of maternal death, child marriage, and gender-based violence.
The global trend of aid cutbacks has further impacted Afghanistan. Nearly three-quarters of women-led organizations surveyed in Afghanistan experienced funding cuts in 2025. Bruno Lemarquis, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, warned that funding gaps could force health centre closures, leaving thousands of mothers and newborns vulnerable to preventable complications and death.
UNESCO has called for the full restoration of the right to education for Afghan girls.
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