KABUL, September 24 — The plight of women in Afghanistan has reached a critical level, exacerbated by the recent catastrophic earthquake that struck the eastern provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman at the end of August. This 6.0-magnitude quake, the deadliest in decades for a country already prone to seismic activity, has drawn attention to the dire circumstances faced by Afghan women, who are often left behind in times of crisis due to systemic gender-based restrictions.
As humanitarian efforts scramble to provide aid to the vulnerable populations in the aftermath of the earthquake, reports indicate that nearly 700,000 homes and 500 hectares of farmland were damaged in Kunar alone. Amidst this destruction, the Taliban’s oppressive policies have compounded the suffering of women and children, who are traditionally the most affected during disasters.
The lack of female doctors in these regions has proven fatal. Many women are unable to receive necessary medical attention because male doctors are often barred from interacting with female patients due to enforced gender segregation. This situation has led to an alarming increase in casualties among women, particularly as the health crisis unfolds in the wake of natural disasters. “In the affected areas, a serious shortage of female doctors led to a higher toll among women because male doctors did not have easy access to female victims due to gender segregation,” noted a local health worker.
According to a report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Taliban regulations restrict women’s freedom of movement and limit their access to employment and healthcare. Such policies have left many women without the means to secure adequate medical care during emergencies, showcasing a chilling intersection of gender discrimination and humanitarian neglect.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, residents of Kunar and Jalalabad reported severe shortages of safe shelter and drinking water, compounding existing health issues among women. The total death toll from the earthquake is estimated at 2,200, with reports indicating that the majority of victims were women and children. “The situation is extremely dire,” said Sharifa Aziz, a member of the UNICEF relief team, who described the emotional response of women upon seeing aid workers: “They cried tears of joy at seeing us. They said, ‘God’s angels have come to us.’”
Sadly, the relief efforts have been hampered by the lack of female personnel within humanitarian organizations, a direct result of the Taliban’s oppressive clampdown on women’s participation in the workforce. Susan Ferguson, the UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan, emphasized the urgent need for gender-sensitive responses in her statement following the earthquake. “Women and girls will again bear the brunt of this disaster, so we must ensure their needs are at the heart of the response and recovery,” she warned.
The statistics are stark: after the major earthquake that hit Herat in 2023, nearly six out of ten fatalities were women. Local news reports have indicated that in some households, multiple children perished, stressing the disproportionate impact of these disasters on women and families.
In a belated response to the ongoing crisis, the Taliban dispatched mobile health teams to Kunar only after images highlighting the shortage of female doctors circulated on social media. However, residents continue to voice their concerns over the insufficient number of female medical staff. “If there were more female doctors here, we would not have had to transfer our patients elsewhere,” complained Chenar Gul, a local resident, illustrating the desperation faced by families trying to access healthcare for their loved ones.
The role of female healthcare providers is critical during times of disaster, as they are often the only practitioners who can effectively treat women and children. Without access to female medical staff, many women may go untreated for hours, or worse, may not receive care at all. The Taliban’s policies, which have kept universities and medical training centers for girls and women closed for four consecutive years, have only exacerbated this already dire situation.
The infrastructural decay and fragile healthcare systems in Afghanistan—legacies of decades of conflict—have only worsened the outcomes of natural disasters like the recent earthquake. The staggering number of casualties illustrates a society that is ill-prepared to handle such crises, particularly when gender discrimination plays a significant role in shaping the response.
International leaders and organizations must recognize their responsibility to advocate for Afghan women. Solidarity with Afghan women requires relentless pressure on the Taliban government to lift its oppressive restrictions and to prioritize gender equity in all facets of society, especially during emergencies. Only by confronting and dismantling these barriers can we hope to mitigate the severe toll that natural disasters take on vulnerable populations, particularly women and children.
The time for action is now, as the world watches the unnecessary suffering of Afghan women unfold in the wake of disaster.
