Author: Arezu Fayyazi

Nearly Four Years of Taliban Assault on Afghan Women’s Health Cost Lives

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

Afghanistan has seen a stark reversal in progress in all sectors of their society after the Taliban took over in 2021. However, one of the most deeply impacted sectors has been women’s health. 

Before 2021, there had been 20 years of growth in the health sector. Maternal mortality had decreased from 1,345 deaths/100,000 live births in 2000 to 620 deaths/100,000 live births in 2021. Although 620 deaths was still a high mortality rate compared to neighboring countries, the mortality rate still had decreased more than 50% – a significant progress for Afghan women’s health in just 20 years. Mothers and children were not only surviving, they were thriving. With improved health, women were contributing to the workforce and economy through their roles as doctors, nurses, teachers, politicians, and lawyers amongst many other professions. 

This large decrease in maternal mortality from 2000-2020 had largely been due to an increase in healthcare service delivery for women and an increase in female education. However, in 2021 when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, their restrictions against women became a huge barrier to service delivery and reproductive health. For example, women’s medical education and training is now banned and women cannot travel without a male guardian. Many clinics began to close due to international funding cuts and lack of cooperation from the Taliban. 

These restrictions and the Taliban’s dismissal of women’s rights have had direct consequences on women’s health. Gul’s daughter, Nasrin, was pregnant with her eighth child. When she needed to go to the hospital, Gul and Nasrin were stopped multiple times at Taliban checkpoints as they were travelling alone without a male. After waiting at checkpoints, it was too late and both Nasrin and her child passed away. Despite Gul’s pleas, the Taliban did not listen: “I begged them, telling them my daughter was dying. I pleaded for their permission. But they still refused.” 

Nasrin is not the only Afghan woman facing this issue. A report conducted by the World Health Organization predicted that 24 mothers and 167 infants die every day from preventable causes and about 14 million people in Afghanistan lack access to basic healthcare services. Additionally, UN Women also reports that by 2026, the possibility of a woman dying while giving birth will have increased by 50%. 

These reports are not just numbers – they are women who are being affected everyday. 

Most women arrive at hospitals in critical conditions, sometimes it is too late to help them, because they have been prevented from accessing care earlier due to a lack of a male guardian and facilities in their villages. Another woman’s baby died on the way to the hospital, too. She wasn’t able to go sooner because of a lack of a male guardian, “I had to wait for my husband to return from work. I had no other male guardian.” Even if women go to the hospital without a male chaperone, then they are denied treatment. 

The Taliban are even actively inhibiting the work of physicians and nurses by enforcing their clothing policies. According to a female healthcare worker, “Taliban enforcers barged in and took away three female nurses, claiming their uniforms were inappropriate. They made them sign a pledge to wear longer clothing before letting them go. Even in life and death emergencies, instead of letting us treat patients they are instead arresting us over our clothing.”

The Taliban has facilitated the drastic increase in women’s mortality because of their failure to recognize and respect women’s rights. The international community cannot afford to look away. What is happening in Afghanistan is not just a rollback of rights, but it is a war on women’s existence as humans. 

International political pressure must be applied to ensure women’s rights and to secure improved women’s health. Stories about women like Nasrin should compel the international community to act. Access to healthcare is a basic human right that Afghan women deserve, but denied by the Taliban. 

Sources: World Bank, FMF, The Guardian 

Revoking T.P.S. for Afghan Allies Leaves Them in Jeopardy Once More

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

The Trump administration announced on Friday that Temporary Protected Status (T.P.S.) for Afghan allies in the United States is being canceled, stating that “Afghanistan no longer meets the statutory requirements for its T.P.S. designation.” As a result, over 14,000 Afghans now face the risk of deportation in May and June.

Afghans were first protected under the T.P.S. in 2022 by the Biden administration after the Taliban took control of the government. The protections for Afghans were justified because there was a “serious threat posed by ongoing armed conflict; lack of access to food, clean water, and health care; and destroyed infrastructure, internal displacement and economic instability.” Three years later, the situation in Afghanistan has only worsened. Women and children are facing one of the largest malnutrition crises that Afghanistan has ever seen because of a lack of food. Women cannot go to school or work, and Afghans are dying due to violence and conflict. 

The cancellation of T.P.S is even more dire for women and girls. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refugee, says that “For Afghan women and girls, ending these humanitarian protections means ending access to opportunity, freedom, and safety. Forcing them back to Taliban rule, where they face systemic oppression and gender-based violence, would be an utterly unconscionable stain on our nation’s reputation.” 

Thousands of Afghans remain in limbo – unsure of what their status will look like in the upcoming weeks. When the Trump administration issued the executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), many Afghans even with a plane ticket found themselves in limbo. Freshta, a priority applicant who was a former female prosecutor that brought justice for victims of domestic violence, suddenly had their flight cancelled when the USRAP was paused. Freshta “was mentally crushed by that.” Although USRAP was resumed, Afghan allies waiting overseas and those who are already in the U.S. once again find themselves facing a change in policy that renders many fearful and uncertain for their future plans. 

Especially for Afghan women and girls, the possibility of being deported to Afghanistan is a future that is difficult to grasp given the extreme violation of women’s rights in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Afghanistan’s dangerous and unstable conditions have not changed, and neither should the T.P.S policy that protects Afghan allies who came with the support of the U.S. government. 

The global community must call on the current administration to reverse the cancellation of the T.S.P program for Afghans, especially those who had helped the U.S. while they were in Afghanistan. Forgetting those who stood with the U.S. in difficult times puts a stain on the U.S. now and in the future. It is a moral imperative to reinstate the status and keep Afghan allies at home in the U.S. 

Sources: NY Times

Countries Must Stop Accepting Taliban Diplomats and Prioritize Women’s Human Rights

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

Since returning to power, the Taliban has tried to consolidate their power by taking control of foreign embassies and consulates. According to AP News, The Taliban has said that they “no longer recognize Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with the previous administration.” 

These statements started a chain reaction of embassies closing down. The embassies in the UK and Norway closed. The embassy in London closed “following the dismissal of its staff by the Taliban government.” The UK government did not want to hand the embassy to the Taliban, so closure was the best option, according to officials. Similarly, Norway closed the Afghan embassy “at the host country’s discretion.” Similarly, Norway closed the Afghan embassy on September 12, 2024, after the Taliban withdrew its support. The closure of Afghanistan’s embassies around the world is sending signals to the Taliban that their orders are being followed even with the lack of international recognition. It is a dangerous message given that this offers them too much deference. 

Additionally, there are many countries building diplomatic relationships with the Taliban, too. China was the first country to accept an envoy on behalf of Afghanistan on January 30, 2024, the UAE followed in August, 2024, and now there are over 40 embassies and diplomatic relationships that follow orders from the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over a dozen countries now have diplomats sent from the de-facto government, including Turkey, Russia, Iran and Pakistan. Russia has gone a step further, removing the Taliban from their terrorist organization list. In March 2025, Norway was the latest to welcome Taliban diplomats. 

The Taliban also sent a new ambassador to Uzbekistan, a move following a 2.5 billion dollar trade deal between the Taliban and Uzbekistan. The deal covered topics from energy and infrastructure to manufacturing. Referring to the trade deal, the deputy Taliban prime minister Mullah Baradar said, “This landmark signing is a testament to the strong political will and commitment of the leadership in both Afghanistan and Uzbekistan to deepen economic integration in the region. We are confident that these agreements will create new avenues for investment, trade, and job creation, benefiting the people of both our nations.” While this aligns with reports of the Taliban seeking to establish economic ties with neighboring countries, specific details about the deal and its implementation remain limited in publicly available sources. 

The Taliban’s remarks on these deals are contradictory to how they treat the Afghan people, especially women and girls, about half the population of the county. If they truly wanted to benefit their population, they would not ban secondary education for women or ban them from going outside without a man and covering their faces.

Large economic trade deals and exchanges of diplomats only suggest a new chapter of normalization of relationships with the Taliban. When the Taliban first took power in the late 1990s and in the first year of its return to power in August 2021, they remained isolated from the rest of the world. International aid and support decreased. However, recent trade and diplomatic changes indicate that countries around the world are engaging with the Taliban, regardless of how the Taliban rules or treats the Afghan people, even if that means violating international laws and standards. 

Relationships with the Taliban should not be normalized as long as they continue to violate the fundamental human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. There cannot be a normalization of a terrorist regime that sets the precedent that women are not humans or deserving of opportunities to be full members of society. The welcoming of diplomatic relationships has now relieved the Taliban of pressure to change their restrictive approach towards Afghan women. 

From when the Taliban took power in August of 2021 until now, women’s situation has only worsened. Every year that passes, the number of restrictions on their autonomy that violate their rights only increases. The Taliban’s form of oppressive governance should not be condoned by normalization of diplomatic relationships and rewarded with trade deals. Change must come first and women’s rights must be secured. 


Sources: AP News, 8am Media, Reuters, VOA, New York Times, Al-Jazeera  

A New School Year Begins in Afghanistan, But Not for Afghan Girls

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

The start of Spring marks a new school year in Afghanistan, but for millions of Afghan girls, the doors to education remain firmly shut. For the fourth consecutive year, the Taliban has upheld its ban on secondary and higher education for girls, a policy that UNESCO estimates has affected at least 1.5 million Afghan girls since 2021.

For over 1280 days, girls have been barred from attending school or seeking any kind of formal education outside their homes. For nearly four years, they have been restricted to their homes only. Additionally, the Taliban has imposed over 100 restrictive edicts, systematically controlling and limiting every aspect of women’s and girls’ lives in Afghanistan.

Setayesh, a 13-year-old Afghan girl, was one of millions of girls who were affected by the Taliban’s complete ban on education for girls. She shares, “I dream of becoming a doctor. These restrictions mean losing every opportunity in life.”

Moska, a 19-year-old Afghan student, also shares, “All the dreams I had for success and a bright future were suddenly shattered due to the political and social circumstances…I dream of one day being able to resume my education, progress in life, and contribute to the reconstruction of my country.” 

Ala, a 28-year-old artist and dental assistant, says that Afghan girls are “carrying an overwhelming weight of unfulfilled dreams. They are trapped in a world where doors are closed tighter with every passing moment.” 

Beyond the loss of education, their mental health has been severely deteriorating, too. According to a psychologist in Afghanistan after talking to several female patients, “A common theme is the ban from school, which can lead to feelings of isolation.” 

Despite the immense challenge that the Taliban has placed on Afghan girls who dream of obtaining an education, Afghan girls remain strong-willed. Some of them have pursued online education – though it is limited – despite risks from the Taliban. They continue to wait, and hope for a future where they can once again walk through school doors and reclaim their dreams. And despite risks, they continue to share their dreams of education and a different future. 

The international community must hold the Taliban accountable for the unjust restrictions placed upon Afghan girls. Although there have been condemnations of the Taliban’s policies, action has been limited. There needs to be pressure to enact and enforce change regarding this policy. Afghan girls must not wait for another year to pass where they are denied the right to an education. 

The new year marks a time of new opportunities, growth, and hope, but for Afghan women and girls, it is a stark reminder of the lost opportunities and growth. There must be a united effort globally to restore access to education for Afghan girls – and make sure they are not left behind.

You can help by taking action and sending a strong message to your Member of Congress to not forget about Afghan girls and women.

Sources: UNESCO, BBC, Amu TV 

Allies Feeling “Betrayed” and “Disappointed” by the Closure of the Afghan Resettlement Program

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

The order the State Department has received to close the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) by April 2025 has left many Afghans and military veterans shocked and upset at this decision. The program has not officially closed yet, but all signs point to its permanent shutdown.

The decision to close CARE means that about 200,000 Afghans could see the door of opportunity to come to the US as closed. This group includes family members of those who were part of the Afghan-American U.S. military personnel, children waiting to join their families, and those who helped the U.S. government during the 20 years the U.S. was in Afghanistan 

Afghans in the U.S. who have helped the U.S. while in Afghanistan are expressing their concern and discontent with this decision. Afghan brothers in Texas, who both currently serve for the U.S. military, say they “feel betrayed. We serve this country because it protected us, but now it is abandoning my sister, who is in danger because of our work with America.” Their sister was one of the Afghans who were denied entrance to the U.S. following the announcement of the closure of CARE. 

An Afghan couple, who were translators for the U.S. military, has been in the U.S. for the past three years. They had refugee cases for their young children between the ages of six and seventeen. Their children were so close to being reunited with their parents in the U.S. when the executive orders suddenly prevented them from boarding their flight. These young children are now stuck in Doha without their parents or a plan for the future. According to Gul, “When my wife heard this news, she fell on the ground and lost consciousness. We waited years for them to come and in a few hours, everything changed.” 

U.S. military veterans and advocates are also standing beside Afghans and calling on the U.S. government to reverse the order to close CARE. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) released a statement on X that said “Many Afghans in this program worked with the U.S. military during the war. Shutting down this office and abandoning them now after all they’ve done to help protect American troops would be a disgrace.” 

Leading the veterans’ call to support Afghan refugees is Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and founder of #AfghanEvac. VanDiver released a statement on behalf of #AfghanEvac that said, “These are men and women who served beside us: the interpreters who ran into fire to pull us to safety, the intelligence officers who helped dismantle IED networks, the contractors who supplied our bases. Many of them have already sold everything they own, fled their homes, and put their families in peril based on our promise.” 

Jason Nelson, a veteran who served in Afghanistan, echoes VanDiver’s call on X – “Part of what eats at me every day is the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a veteran of that war, I see that failure as the sad culmination of a lifetime’s work, the outcome over which I had no control. It tears your soul up, one tiny piece at a time.” 

Both Afghans who helped the U.S. and the veterans who served alongside Afghans feel frustrated and upset at the closure of the refugee resettlement program. Afghans are struggling to cope with the news that their families cannot be reunited in the U.S. and are facing heightened risk in Afghanistan given that they have helped the U.S. previously. Many are stuck in Pakistan, running out of visas and the financial means to support themselves and are threatened to be deported by the government of Pakistan. 

On the other hand, U.S. veterans feel strong moral obligations to support their fellow servicemen who risked their lives to help the U.S. The call to reestablish the Afghan refugee resettlement program is a united community effort from both Afghans and U.S. veterans that needs to be amplified.

How you can help: 

Call your Members of Congress and urge them to stop the closure of CARE and “keep America’s word to Afghan allies.” Here’s how you can find them easily: https://afghanevac.org/elected-officials


Sources: Reuters, ProPublica, #AfghanEvac, X

Afghan Women Denounce Taliban’s Ban on Medical Training

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

The Taliban has banned education for Afghan girls and women beyond the 6th grade for over three years and higher education for two years. Until recently, the only pathway for education that remained was medical institutions for Afghan women. Two weeks ago, the Taliban announced that female students would be barred from attending medical institutions as well – until further notice. 

Shortly after the ban, Afghan women expressed their worries and allies and leaders around the world condemned the Taliban’s new order. With the removal of medical training, Afghan women are left feeling more hopeless than ever before – with one stating “I’m watching my dreams die before my eyes.” 

Under the Taliban, Afghan women have lost their rights to work, speaking in public or even loudly at home, and so much more. The country formerly known as the graveyard of empires has now become a graveyard for women’s dreams, hopes, and aspirations. 

The Taliban’s decision to close medical institutions is not only a violation of women’s rights, but it is a debilitating decision for the health services in Afghanistan. A previous Taliban edict has already restricted women’s access to health services by banning women from entering health centers without a male guardian and seeing a male doctor. Another edict prevents women health professionals from practicing without a male chaperone, and ordering women not to be employed in outside offices. With this recently announced edict, they are removing women from an already vulnerable health sector. 

Before 2021, Afghanistan’s healthcare system heavily relied on women as community healthcare workers to deliver vaccines and to provide midwifery and maternal and child health services. The education and training of midwives was a key factor that decreased maternal mortality by about 64% from 2001-2015. Women strengthened the health workforce by filling the shortage of healthcare workers and supplementing the delivery of care to Afghan citizens, which reinforced two aspects of the WHO’s health system delivery blocks – service delivery and health workforce. 

The removal of women from the workforce along with the migration of educated professionals in the health sector, Afghanistan is faced with a severe shortage of health workers. It is also reversing the progress made in the healthcare system during the 20 years of the republic regime, backed by the international community. UN women projects that maternal mortality will rise by 50% and early childbearing will increase by 45% by 2026. 

Afghan women are denied their rights only because they are women and they need their allies to stand with them and raise their issues at this dark time. 

Sources: Amu TV, Feminist Majority Foundation, Washington Post, National Library of Medicine, Tolo News 

Human Rights Day – A Day of Mourning for Afghan Women 

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

December 10 is International Human Rights Day. It is a day to commemorate human rights for all regardless of their background, ethnicity, and gender. In Afghanistan, this day stands as a stark reminder of the fundamental rights Afghan women have been denied by the Taliban regime.

Afghan women are mourning the loss of their fundamental human rights and their freedoms. They have not been able to celebrate this monumental day since 2021 when the Taliban took power by force and started enforcing their restrictive edicts. During the three years of the Taliban in power, there has been a complete reversal of all women’s rights advancements made during the previous 20 years of growth in this sector. 

Taliban officials are proudly announcing that 80% of women’s rights have been achieved under their establishment. However, Afghan girls cannot attend school beyond the sixth grade, women are not allowed to pursue education or any training even in midwifery or nursing, women cannot be employed, and they don’t have any freedom of movement. They can no longer leave their house without a male chaperone, they cannot be heard in public, or even speak with one another amongst many other horrifying restrictions. 

While the Human Rights Day is a somber day for Afghan women, it marks a day of reflection for the global community. The international community must stand together to support the realization of Afghan women’s rights in the hope that the next International Human Rights Day in 2025 will be described as a day of celebration for Afghan women instead of a day of sorrow. 

Taliban: “80 Percent of Women’s Rights have been Provided”

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

When the Taliban took power in 2021, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, promised that “the Taliban would honor women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law.” 

Three years later, Sait-ul-Islam Khyber, the Taliban’s spokesman for their Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said “80% of women’s rights have been provided to them. These rights include marriage, inheritance, or freedoms that Islam grants them and are their fundamental rights.” The Ministry also cited that they prevented almost 5000 forced marriages since the Taliban takeover in 2021. 

However, their claims do not represent the reality for Afghan women. 

Their continued release of restrictive edicts barring women from school or working has placed an enormous amount of pressure on women and increased the rates of forced marriages. A study conducted by Amu TV revealed that the rise in forced marriages since 2021 could be tied to the impacts of economic poverty and the Taliban’s ban on education. The limited economic opportunities for women following the ban on education has led to families seeing marriage as the only option. The Taliban’s latest edicts ban Afghan women from speaking in public or even being heard by other adult women.

In their first effort to expressly show their contempt for women’s rights, the Taliban shut down the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in 2021 following return to power. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was a crucial factor in protecting women’s wellbeing and their rights. They were instrumental in decreasing forced marriages before 2021. Since its closure and occupation by the Taliban’s so-called Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice – in other morality police –  there is once again a rise in forced marriages and women are living with domestic violence due to the absence of legal support. 

Furthermore, recently issued edicts of the Taliban directly contradict any assurance in guaranteeing women’s rights. The Taliban announced that women must cover their entire body and face when leaving the house and their voices are now banned in public places. Women are not allowed to sing, talk, or even recite a prayer loud enough for other men and women to hear without facing repercussions. 

According to a woman health professional currently working in Afghanistan, female healthcare professionals cannot even talk about medical issues to men in healthcare facilities. 

Under the Taliban, women’s rights are not 80% met. After over three years of the Taliban in action, the international community must not take the Taliban for their word. The international community must take into account the Taliban’s actions and condemn the system of Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan. 

Sources: AP News, Amu TV, Al Jazeera, The Independent 

Afghanistan Under the Taliban is “A Graveyard for Women’s Dreams”

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

Photo by Nk Ni 

The Taliban has not stopped their aggressive efforts of restricting and regulating women’s lives. Late August of 2024, the Taliban released a 114 page, 35-article that proved to be the “first formal declaration of the vice and virtue laws in Afghanistan since the takeover.” Edicts in the article include: a mandatory call for women to veil their bodies and cover their faces, women’s voices cannot be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public, and women are forbidden from looking at men they are not related to by blood or married to. Men cannot look at women either. 

The Taliban are adamant in referring to the restrictions on women as “protections” for them. 

However, their actions are contrary to protections. The Taliban authorities have been using every tool to control and limit every aspect of women and girls lives. Women and girls have no rights, no freedom, and no autonomy. The Taliban has taken every freedom of choice from women, even the freedom to go out for a stroll in the park. 

The announcement of the vice and virtue laws marked a dreadful milestone for many Afghan women. A Kabul resident said that, “I was still hopeful that the Taliban may change and remove the restrictions on girls’ education. But once they published their vice and virtue law, I lost all hope.” 

Another women’s rights activist said that “The entire country has turned into a graveyard for women’s dreams.” 

In a survey of 3600 women from 19 different provinces, it was found that 67% of the women surveyed believed the Taliban’s restrictions should be defined as “systemic oppression of women and girls.” Similarly, 60% of these women want the UN to use “gender apartheid” to describe their situation.

Every time the Taliban issues a horrific edict, world leaders condemn it and after over three years, condemnation of the Taliban is not enough. World leaders must respect and treat  Afghan women’s rights and their autonomy with the highest regard – as they would in their own countries- and must take real action in women’s support. The Taliban is setting a precedent that says women and girls are not humans and it is up to the world to defeat that narrative and not allow a terrorist group to set such a precedent at a time when women’s rights are under attack around the world. The Taliban need to be held accountable by the international community and the only way forward must be to restore the human rights of Afghan women and their hopes and dignity. 

Sources: AP News, Washington Post, The Guardian 

Three Years Without Education: Its Impacts on Afghan Girls and Afghanistan

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

Photo by Nk Ni

September marked 3 years since the Taliban banned education beyond the secondary level for Afghan girls. More than 1,100 days have passed and there is no progress in reinstating education for girls in Afghanistan. 

The absence of education has also led to mental health issues – teenage girls struggling everyday not being able to go to school only because they are girls. In Afghanistan, “the mental health professionals consistently highlighted the severe consequences of university closures for female students. Anxiety, mood disorders, depression, isolation, and loneliness were frequently reported issues. The experts noted a disturbing increase in suicidal ideation among these students, attributing it to the social mistrust, disbelief, and despair resulting from gender discrimination and severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban.” 

To make the situation worse for Afghan girls, it is becoming increasingly difficult for girls to access mental health support. The Taliban’s restrictions on women working, women leaving the house with a mahram -a male chaperone-, and a crumbling healthcare system with closing clinics because of a lack of proper funding and domestic leadership are all factors that create difficulty in finding support for these women. 

Additionally, the long term impacts of a lack of education for Afghan girls and Afghanistan are severe. Education is the foundation of an individual’s future life and the foundation of a country’s future growth. 

A future without educated women means a workforce that is not contributing to the prosperity of Afghanistan, a struggling healthcare and legal system, increased human rights violations, child marriage rates, poverty rates, and the declining health of women and children. 

According to a report released by the UN Development Programme in 2022, “No country has prospered by leaving half of its population behind, and the loss to the Afghan economy alone is estimated at a billion dollars a year – in addition to any future losses through limits placed on education, skills, dignities and capabilities investment.” This is the dim future Afghanistan is facing by excluding women from the workforce and the educational field. 

Ironically, while the Taliban bans Afghan girls from education, their own children, including the Taliban daughters, attend schools abroad. According to a report by the Afghanistan Analysts Network, the “majority of those living in Doha enrolled their school-aged daughters in school.” The “daughter of one leader, who holds a ministerial job and was previously a member of the Rahbari or Leadership Shura in Quetta, is now studying medicine in a Qatari university.” 

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said it best, “The rights of children, especially girls, cannot be held hostage to politics. Their lives, future, hopes and dreams are hanging in the balance.” 

This is a value that the international community should uphold. Education worldwide should be the standard. Regardless of political tension and power struggles, girls’ education cannot be politicized or exploited for personal and political gains – as the Taliban regime has done in Afghanistan. 

Sources: Afghanistan Analysts Network, UNICEF, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, UNSDG, ScienceDirect,

Afghanistan’s Health System in Decline: More Clinics Forced to Close Under the Taliban Rule

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography

Before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, “donor development aid for Afghanistan’s public health system was approximately six times the government’s own expenditure on health.” Since August 2021, after the Taliban took power by force, international funding has significantly decreased as many donors pulled their funds. 

Given Afghanistan’s heavy dependence on international aid to support their healthcare system, the state of Afghanistan’s healthcare sector has been fragile since the Taliban takeover. With the lack of domestic leadership for Afghanistan’s healthcare system in addition to the much reduced funds from the World Bank and other donors, the healthcare system has been in a serious state of stress with a lack of funding, resources, and human capital. 

An example of this includes the closure of five healthcare facilities in the Daikundi province in Afghanistan just this month, operated by the Global Relief Institute. The Taliban halted the Global Relief Institute’s operations. The Taliban has previously forced other international non-profit organizations to cease activities for alleged “lack of cooperation” or other reasons. Another major case is the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan which provided vital services in education, healthcare, and disability support but faced similar pressure from the Taliban, impacting vital aid for the Afghan people. 

Daikundi is located in a rural area of Afghanistan, which geographically already creates difficulty in providing services and care to people in this region. Given the hard to reach location and the closure of close proximity healthcare facilities, the people in Daikundi are left facing a crisis. According to Amu TV, “the situation is further compounded by a shortage of health centers, a lack of female specialist doctors, and a scarcity of medicines across Daikundi.”  

Afghanistan already faces many dire health problems. The country has some of the highest rates of maternal mortality, the highest rates of disability, and a malnutrition crisis that women and children are bearing the brunt of. With the closure of healthcare facilities, there will be no resources to treat these disabilities. 

Looking at this from a long-term perspective, Afghanistan will be faced with a shrinking workforce due to the number of women being prohibited from work and pursuing higher education beyond grade six. An already slow economy due to the withdrawal of international aid, coupled with a shrinking workforce has led to large economic losses, disruptions in workflow and supply chain, and declining innovation. 

Furthermore, a lack of healthcare facilities means that countless women and children are left to struggle under the Taliban’s restricted version of Afghanistan. Women do not have the proper check-ups during their pregnancy or pre and postnatal care to ensure a healthy pregnancy for the mother and child. Children are struggling with malnutrition and diarrhea, a preventable and treatable illness. 

Healthcare is a fundamental human right, regardless of gender, race, religion, or location. It is essential that international donors and non-profit organizations continue to support Afghanistan’s healthcare system, ensuring critical assistance reaches the Afghan people. The provision of humanitarian aid must remain separate from political recognition of the Taliban. Afghan citizens are calling for the Taliban to prioritize the country’s healthcare system and urgently restore medical services.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Amu TV, ScienceDirect, Reliefweb

Malnutrition: The Hidden Struggle of Afghan Women and Children 

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

In times of conflict, political instability, and social unrest, women and children have always been the ones who face the most dire consequences compared to the rest of the population. 

It is nearly three years since the Taliban returned to power and their extremist views and restricting edicts against Afghan women has been one of the major  human rights crises. Afghan women’s rights are under constant attack by the Taliban. However, the silent struggle that Afghan women are facing on top of the restrictions on their rights and existence is food insecurity and malnutrition. 

Women are struggling to feed their children and themselves, leaving them all malnourished. 

Currently, 15.5 million people are considered to be facing acute food insecurity, 2.7 million of which are in an emergency situation. In 2023, it is estimated that 1.2 million Afghan women were malnourished. According to the World Food Programme, this number is only expected to grow this year. The statistics for Afghan children are also supposed to grow this year, reaching 3 million malnourished children. 

Acute malnutrition is at a dire point for women and children as about 50% of  children under five years of age and 25% of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers need nutritional support in the coming 12 months in order to survive. 

The context behind this crippling reality for Afghan women is a combination of many factors, including a struggling economy as well as high unemployment rates. With a struggling economy, Afghan families are unable to pay for food to support their families. When the Taliban takeover occurred, a large number of Afghan families lost their main sources of income as international aid was suspended in sectors including the government, non-profits, humanitarian efforts, and in education and health sectors. Furthermore, Afghanistan is facing rising rates of inflation that make food and nutrition expensive for families to buy. 

The Taliban’s restrictions on women also exacerbates the malnutrition crisis. Even highly educated women cannot earn income because of the Taliban restrictions on their employment and freedom of movement. 

Afghanistan’s hunger and malnutrition crisis is often forgotten given the other wars around the world where famine and food crises are more visible. However, in addition to food insecurity, Afghanistan is one of the top 10 countries facing maternal and child mortality due to several reasons, including malnutrition. The health of women and children will continue to drastically decline unless sustainable interventions, such as allowing women to work and earn an income, are put in place to support families.

The consequences of a malnourished population of women and children are severe. With malnourished children, the next generation of Afghanistan will face life-long health consequences, such as  cognitive impairment, and will have far worse quality of life. The economy will suffer as well because of a lack of a qualified and educated workforce. The GDP will continue to face losses and the recovery will take even longer. 

Importantly, when an expecting mother is malnourished, it is more likely that their child will be born of a low-birth weight. This opens a large possibility of future health concerns for the child, including increased risk of adult chronic disease, frequent infections, and reduced mental and physical capacity. 

Targeting malnutrition in Afghanistan and working to improve the nutrition of women and children must become as much of a priority as it has been in other parts of the world where there’s more visibility on food starvation. Targeting malnutrition means improving the health, physical growth, cognitive development, school performance, and productivity of Afghan women and children. By supporting the growth of a strong and prepared population of women and children, there is the potential to improve Afghanistan’s social and economic development in addition to the empowerment of women. 

Sources: Ariana News, Khaama Press, Human Rights Watch, World Food Programme, Relief Web, UNSCN, UNICEF  

The Taliban Misuses Religion And Culture To Promote Their Ideology

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi
Jan Chipchase, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED

The Taliban has launched attacks against women and girls by using religion and culture to promote their ideology of suppressing women and girls. By altering meanings and conservatively interpreting Islam and Afghanistan’s culture, they have created a severe case of gender apartheid in Afghanistan. 

Recently, in a public engagement, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister of Afghanistan, said that “Those who are making useless propaganda and think that this government is not inclusive, they are not aware of the culture and tradition of Afghanistan.” 

Haqqani’s justification is tremendously incorrect – Afghan culture and tradition does not exclude women. During the past 20 years of development from 2001-2021, Afghan women redefined and regained their status in society. Afghan women demonstrated that they are not the timid wives who only like to stay at home and do house chores. Instead they demonstrated that they are leaders and changemakers who defied norms and redefined Afghan women’s status as strong, independent, and actively involved in all aspects of life. 

Just before Afghanistan was taken over by the Taliban in August 2021, women comprised 6.5% of ministerial positions in the government. Women served in the government, they served as doctors and midwives, they served as journalists, and more. However, now that the Taliban has taken power, there are 0 women holding positions in the government, female journalists are under restrictions only because of their gender and cannot interview male government officials or cannot attend press conferences without a male chaperone, and female doctors cannot practice without a male chaperone either. 

It is clear that Afghan culture and tradition are not the factors that created an exclusive environment for women. It is the Taliban’s manipulation and misinterpretation of Afghan culture and traditions that has led to women being excluded from the social sphere, political participation, education sectors, and the job market. 

The Taliban misuse Islam as a justification for gender apartheid and restrict women through strict interpretations where they claim that “bad hijab” “violates Islamic values and rituals.” Women are unjustly being arrested and taken by force to locations where they “are held in overcrowded spaces in police stations, received only one meal a day, with some being subjected to physical violence, threats and intimidation.” This is just another example that demonstrates how women are being discriminated against and their rights are being violated because of how the Taliban manipulates religion as a justification to mistreat and violate women. 

Recognizing gender apartheid that the Taliban has imposed is an incredibly crucial step in reversing the restrictions and violations against Afghan women’s rights. Gender apartheid must be lifted and removed to achieve equality against women and men in Afghanistan and allow women to be part of all aspects of public life. 

Sources: 

Tolonews, CNN, VOA, Feminist Majority Foundation, Ms. Magazine, UN News

In Afghanistan, the Absence of Education for Women and Girls has Long Term Implications 

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

Women’s rights to an education have been under attack by the Taliban since the terrorist group took over in August 2021. The group continues to roll out restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan everyday. At this moment, girls are not allowed to go to university or secondary school. Even private courses are banned for girls over grade six and in some parts of the country, even lower. 

While these restrictions have been in place for almost 2.5 years, and while the future implications are not as visible now, future loss that results from preventing girls from attending schools will be immeasurable. Much needed human capital is being wasted by the Taliban as women are not allowed to enter the workforce now and in the future, women will lack the skills and competencies even further. 

In the meantime, innovation is lagging as there is less diversity of thought and skills and female voices leading the drive for innovation are missing. Economic losses could be huge from the lack of innovation and human capital from intelligent female professionals if the Taliban continues to take away the right of education from Afghan women and girls. 

The UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) estimates that restricting access to education led to a 21% decrease in employment levels of women by mid-2022 and a GDP loss of $1 billion USD per year. Afghanistan’s economy is already suffering as it “relies heavily on external support and its private sector is weak.” 

Given the already fragile economy, it is crucial that Afghanistan strengthens its economy by building its human capital and the private sector. However, limiting the education of women and excluding them socially and economically means that the Afghan economy will not have the opportunity to recover if they exclude roughly half of the population (48.3%) from entering the workforce with relevant knowledge and skills. 

Furthermore, from 2001-2021, women transformed the political, economic, and social scene for Afghan women as well by receiving an education and using it to pursue jobs in any field, contribute to their communities and societies. Women had the opportunity to be politically active and loud. 

According to the UN Women, “By 2021, Afghan women had secured 69 out of 249 seats in parliament, women were negotiating peace across the country, and even a law was in place allowing women to include their names on their children’s birth certificates and identification cards. There was a Ministry of Women’s Affairs, an independent human rights commission, and a law-making violence against women a crime. But more than this, women were visible—from law, politics, and journalism, to sidewalks, parks, and schools.” 

The social and political progress made for women during the time where education was accessible and promoted for women demonstrates how there is a direct correlation between higher education for women and progress in Afghanistan. 

In a state where education is limited for women, this could only mean that progress in Afghanistan will be stunted in terms of political and social growth. Afghan women worked hard to improve the status of women and create a space for them in society. 

Decreasing the political participation of women leads to a larger gender divide, further increasing the gender apartheid that exists in Afghanistan. 

Even in the healthcare sector, there is a direct relationship between women’s education and health. When women were able to pursue education, the number of midwives and midwifery education increased tremendously as well, lowering the mortality rates of infants and women during birth. There was a direct correlation from increased educational opportunities, increased number of active midwives, and a lower maternal mortality. From 2000 to 2015 as midwifery education expanded, maternal mortality decreased by 64%. 

The long-term impact of women being prevented from education is not only the removal from the social spheres, and economic losses, women’s health will also suffer as the number of midwives decreases with restricted education and maternal mortality increases. 

Education should be protected because not only is it a violation, but allowing women to pursue education creates a opportunities for women where they are able to feel confident to make their own decisions, amplify their own voices, and advocate for the rights to education, health, autonomy, etc., and improve the state of Afghanistan politically, socially, and economically. 

Sources: 

UNSDG; World Bank; UN Women; The Lancet Global Health

A coalition of Afghan women, Together Stronger, defends women’s rights despite the Taliban’s gender apartheid

Posted on by Arezu Fayyazi

The Taliban has been punishing women with arrests and physical violence citing claims of what the group calls “bad hijab.” Abdul Ghafar Farooq, the spokesman for the Taliban, has stated that women “violated the Islamic values and rituals, and encouraged society and other respected sisters to go for bad hijab. In every province, those who go without hijab will be arrested.” 

In response to the arrests of Afghan women for “bad hijab,” members of Together Stronger have released a statement condemning the Taliban for these arrests. Together Stronger is a coalition of advocates with women from inside and outside of Afghanistan. 

The coalition states that with the recent “illegal arrests” of women and girls, the Taliban intend “to completely erase women from society, an act that confirms gender apartheid in Afghanistan.” These arrests are a continuation to the unjust edicts, moving forward the Taliban’s plans to create a fully patriarchal society. 

Within the roughly 2.5 years the Taliban has been in power, there have been more than 100 edicts announced that restrict women. Women have been essentially excluded from the public sphere in Afghanistan. They cannot go to school, women working in public offices cannot return to their jobs. They cannot even visit healthcare facilities without a mahram (male escort). Women and girls not only lack the freedom of mobility and freedom of autonomy with the increasing number of edicts being issued, they are facing tremendous security issues as well. 

Women in Afghanistan through Together Stronger are telling the world that women are being arrested, abducted, beaten, and forced into unknown locations at the hands of Taliban members. Their rights and dignity are being violated with new rules being imposed upon them on a regular basis. 

In the face of escalating violence, arrests, abductions, and daily harassment, Afghan women and girls are urging their allies to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them and hold the Taliban accountable for inflicting harm and violating their basic human rights. 

Source:

Together Stronger

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