Four years after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, Afghanistan has become the epicenter of the world’s most severe women’s rights crisis. Today, 21 million Afghan women live under a web of directives that strip them of education, employment, freedom of movement, and any participation in public life. According to UN Women, each new restriction pushes women closer to being erased from public space entirely.
The measures are systematic. Girls are banned from attending secondary school from the age of 13, and women are forbidden from entering universities. The result is devastating: nearly 80% of Afghan women aged 18 to 29 are neither in school, nor employed, nor in training. An entire generation is being sacrificed, trapped in a cycle of exclusion and economic dependence.
Women erased from public life
The labor market offers a stark picture of this exclusion. While nearly 90% of men participate in the workforce, only one in four women is allowed to work or even seek employment. The Taliban have deliberately barred women from sectors that once provided opportunities: the civil service, national and international NGOs, and even beauty salons — one of the few spaces where Afghan women could previously earn a living. The result is one of the largest gender gaps in the global labor force.
This erasure goes far beyond the economy. Politically, women have been completely removed from leadership and decision-making. The Taliban’s cabinet is 100% male, and all subnational leadership posts are held by men. In daily life, restrictions extend to public spaces: parks, gyms, and leisure clubs are off limits for women. Since August 2024, more than 3,300 male enforcers have been deployed to implement a new “morality law,” which includes banning women from speaking in public. Communities themselves are pressured to monitor and punish violations.
The result is a climate of permanent fear. Although open war has ended, most Afghan women report feeling unsafe even in their own neighborhoods. This atmosphere of oppression and isolation has triggered a mental health crisis, with soaring levels of anxiety, despair, and depression.
Alarming health and social consequences
The bans on education and work carry catastrophic consequences for Afghan women’s health and future. Projections show that by 2026, these restrictions will lead to a 25% increase in child marriages, a 45% rise in adolescent pregnancies, and at least a 50% surge in maternal mortality. Such figures reflect a social collapse that condemns young girls to dependency and life-threatening medical risks.
Gender-based violence is also worsening. While reliable nationwide data is scarce, testimonies suggest that domestic and social violence has intensified. Meanwhile, protection mechanisms have collapsed: the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been dismantled, and laws addressing violence against women have been abolished. In a country where survivor services are rapidly vanishing, Afghan women are left without recourse.
The crisis is further compounded by humanitarian and migration pressures. In 2025 alone, more than 1.7 million Afghans returned, many forcibly, from Iran and Pakistan. Women accounted for one-third of returnees from Iran and nearly half from Pakistan. These women face heightened risks of poverty, early marriage, violence, and exploitation.
Adding to the crisis is the financial collapse of Afghan civil society. A UN survey conducted in March 2025 found that 40% of the 207 women-led NGOs had been forced to suspend all donor-dependent projects due to funding cuts. These organizations, often run by women, were the last lifeline for documenting abuses and sustaining solidarity networks.
Resilience and a call for global solidarity
Despite this dire reality, Afghan women are not giving up. Many continue to form solidarity networks, launch small businesses, or document human rights abuses — often at great personal risk. These acts of courage show that Afghan women remain resilient and determined, even under the crushing weight of Taliban oppression.
Their struggle is not merely a local issue but a global responsibility. As the Taliban seek to normalize the erasure of women, the international community must sustain political pressure and provide financial support to the organizations that continue to resist. The future of 21 million Afghan women depends on it.