Five years after Taliban return, humanitarian crisis deepens: 'It's hell if you're a woman in Afghanistan'

Five years after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban's resurgence, Afghanistan is grappling with one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. The nation, once a focal point of U.S. foreign policy, has largely faded from global attention. A convergence of man-made and natural disasters has plunged millions of children into hunger and stripped women and girls of their most fundamental rights.

International aid, essential for roughly 45% of the population, has seen dramatic reductions from global donors since the Taliban regained control. Women and girls bear the brunt of these cuts, with the U.S., a former top aid provider, no longer among the top five donor nations. This reduction in assistance coincides with the Taliban's escalating crackdown on women's and girls' rights.

Legal protections are being dismantled, women's autonomy is severely restricted, and experts liken the regime's practices to "gender apartheid." These policies have effectively removed half the population from public life, rendering Afghanistan one of the most dangerous places for women. "To put it bluntly, it is hell if you are a woman in Afghanistan," John Sopko, the former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, told CNN.

“

To put it bluntly, it is hell if you are a woman in Afghanistan.

Sopko criticized the international community and the Trump administration for inaction, stating they have created even more chaos for Afghanistan's impoverished population. This decision by the U.S. president to terminate nearly all USAID humanitarian and development programs in early 2025 will cut over $1.7 billion in planned aid.

Afghanistan is now unique in its prohibition of education for girls beyond the sixth grade, leaving an entire generation without secondary education access. UNESCO estimates 2.4 million girls are currently denied education. Furthermore, women are barred from most employment, forced to cover their faces in public, and cannot travel long distances without a male escort. UN Women reports that half of Afghan women leave their homes only once or twice a month, leading to a mental health crisis, with seven in ten women describing their mental health as "poor" or "very poor."

“

And I don't see the international community, certainly I don't see this administration the Trump administration doing anything, absolutely nothing about it. If anything, they are creating even more chaos for the poor people of Afghanistan.