Voices from the Margins
Women in Afghanistan are facing an unprecedented crisis spanning humanitarian needs, development
setbacks, and protection failures. Evidence from 802 surveys and 82 interviews across twelve rural provinces
in the country’s east, southeast, and southwest reveals a rapidly deteriorating environment shaped by
systemic restrictions, collapsing public services, and decades of underinvestment in essential infrastructure.
The cumulative effect is a profound erosion of women’s rights, wellbeing, and access to public services. The
findings outlined in this report present an urgent call to donors and the international community: without
immediate, targeted, and sustained intervention, an entire generation of Afghan women risks being left
behind.
Maternal and reproductive health systems have reached a point of critical failure. The findings of this report
reveal half of births occur at home without medical assistance, and nearly one in four women cannot reach
any health facility at all. Women report widespread untreated infections, complications during childbirth,
psychological trauma, and chronic pain. Access to reproductive care, including family planning, has been
minimal and remains severely restricted. These are not isolated service gaps; they signal a complete
breakdown of health infrastructure and governance conditions that prevent women from accessing
lifesaving care.
The collapse of women’s education is equally alarming and represents one of the most urgent crises of
human capital loss globally. Large numbers of women have been forced out of school before completing
basic grades, and higher education attainment has nearly vanished. Across most assessed provinces, the
proportion of women with higher education remains low, and older women (particularly those above middle
age) have had no access to formal schooling. The evidence reveals a long-term erosion of women’s rights,
with cascading effects on families, economies, and communities.
Water and sanitation gaps disproportionately affect women, limiting their access to hygiene, increasing
disease risk, and exposing them to protection concerns. Many households rely on contaminated or distant
water sources, and women and girls are often required to walk long distances each day to fetch water. Unsafe
sanitation remains widespread, increasing exposure to disease, reducing safety, and compounding already
severe health burdens. These conditions reflect decades of infrastructure neglect and the absence of basic
delivery systems.
Food insecurity is widespread and deepening. Women frequently reduce their own meals, rely on minimal
diets, or go hungry altogether to ensure children can eat. The combination of economic collapse, restricted
mobility, and limited livelihood opportunities drives chronic undernutrition, which disproportionately
affects pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Economic participation for women has nearly disappeared. In many provinces, women report no viable
work opportunities of any kind. Where work exists, it is limited to low-income, informal activities with no
security or growth potential. Structural barriers including lack of capital, market exclusion, mobility
restrictions, and social constraints trap women in cycles of dependency that undermine household resilience
and local economic stability. This is not just a gender issue; it is a major driver of poverty, stagnation, and
economic decline.
Safety and protection systems have collapsed, leaving women with no recourse to justice. The vast majority
do not feel safe in their communities and have no mechanism to report violence. Child marriage remains
widespread, and lack of legal identity documents prevents women from accessing services, moving freely,
or exercising their rights. Impunity, patriarchal mediation systems, and the absence of formal protection
structures leave women exposed to ongoing harm.
Restrictions on mobility and information access have created unprecedented isolation. Most women cannot
leave their homes without male permission, and access to television, radio, and mobile phones is extremely
limited. This isolation cuts women off from education, health information, humanitarian assistance, and
economic opportunities and severely limits their ability to seek help in crisis.
Yet despite these overwhelming challenges, women’s voices demonstrate remarkable resilience and clarity.
Their priority needs are unambiguous: food, healthcare, safety, clean water, livelihoods, education, legal
identity, and mobility. These are foundational building blocks of survival, dignity, and long-term recovery.
Women’s aspirations reflect a powerful and enduring determination to rebuild their lives and contribute
meaningfully to their families and communities.
For donors and the international community, this report provides a roadmap for targeted, high-impact
interventions. The urgency is unmistakable. Investment in maternal health, education, livelihoods, safe
water, and protection systems is not only essential for saving lives - it is critical for preventing further
destabilization, supporting recovery, and ensuring that Afghan women remain integral to the country’s
future.
The moment to act is now. Every delay deepens the crisis, widens gender gaps, and pushes rural women
further into invisibility. With strategic, coordinated, and adequately resourced interventions, the
international community can help restore essential services, safeguard fundamental rights, and support
women in rebuilding their lives with dignity and hope.
