Half of Afghan women rarely leave home as Taliban restrictions deepen, UN agency says

A significant majority of Afghan women rarely leave their homes, with half venturing out only once or twice a month. This drastic curtailment of movement and participation in public life is attributed to escalating Taliban-imposed restrictions, according to data released by UN Women.

As the Taliban approach the fifth anniversary of their return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan stands as the sole nation globally prohibiting girls from secondary education and women from attending university. UN Women highlighted this in a statement, describing Afghanistan as a "global outlier with no parallel in the modern world" due to the systematic dismantling of women's rights.

The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, responsible for enforcing many of these rules, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, also remained silent. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization previously reported that the Taliban have barred approximately 2.4 million Afghan girls from secondary education since 2021.

UN Women's report indicates that Taliban authorities have issued over 100 decrees targeting women and girls, institutionalizing discrimination and exacerbating what the agency terms the world's most severe women's rights crisis. Despite these findings, the Taliban maintain that they uphold women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture. However, the UN agency's survey revealed that nearly three-quarters of women feel unsafe when going out without a male guardian, known as a mahram.

The restrictions have also contributed to a severe mental health crisis, with seven in 10 women describing their mental health as "bad" or "very bad." Factors cited include isolation, loss of opportunities, and limited access to support networks. Furthermore, recent decrees have weakened women's legal protections, abolishing legal equality between men and women, strengthening male authority in marriage, and making divorce more difficult. Economically, only 7% of women are employed compared to 84% of men.

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Half a decade after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, making it a global outlier with no parallel in the modern world.