Taliban Restrictions Endanger Afghan Women's Healthcare

A U.N. human rights expert, Richard Bennett, has warned that Taliban-imposed restrictions on women are endangering access to healthcare in Afghanistan, leading to a humanitarian crisis. New regulations require women seeking medical care to follow a strict dress code, be accompanied by a male guardian, and, in some cases, be treated by male medics. These policies have resulted in women being denied emergency treatment and ambulance services, with tragic consequences such as a woman giving birth alone at a hospital gate and a mother losing her child due to travel restrictions. The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021, has also barred girls from education beyond primary school and imposed morality laws limiting women's expression and employment. A ban on medical education for women is further jeopardizing the healthcare system by reducing the number of future female healthcare workers. Former Afghan health minister Suraya Dalil has expressed concerns about rising maternal and infant mortality rates. Bennett has shared his findings with Taliban authorities but has not received a response.