2025 Afghanistan Bans on Women’s Access to Healthcare and crucial Services.
In 2025, Afghanistan women faced systematic barriers to accessing healthcare and essential services under Taliban rule, placing millions of lives at serious risk. According to OCHA, approximately 22.9 million people in Afghanistan required humanitarian assistance, nearly half of the population, with women forming a large share of those in need but women were routinely denied medical treatment because they could not access health facilities without a male guardian.
The male guardian (mahram) requirement was strictly enforced throughout 2025 in different Provences. Women arriving at health facilities without a male companion were refused care, including in emergency situations. Human Rights Watch documented multiple cases of such denials and reported that approximately 80 percent of rural women were unable to access healthcare due to movement restrictions and the mahram policy. These restrictions caused dangerous delays in treatment and increased complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
In November 2025, a Taliban order in Herat requiring full burqa access to hospitals caused a 28 percent drop in emergency admissions, with care denied based on clothing rather than medical need.
The UN Special Rapporteur in Afghanistan warned that these healthcare restrictions may amount to crimes against humanity and place millions of women at serious risk. he stated maternal mortality could increase by up to 50 percent, rising from 638 to 963 deaths per 100,000 live births if current policies continue. UNFPA estimated that the suspension of U.S. funding between 2025 and 2028 could result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths.
UN Women further warned that if restrictions continue into 2026, maternal mortality could rise by 50 percent, driven by increases in child marriage and adolescent pregnancies. The crisis has been intensified by a severe shortage of skilled birth attendants, with at least 18,000 additional midwives needed nationwide to meet basic maternal health needs.
The continued ban on women’s education in the medical and nursing fields since December 2024 deepened this crisis throughout 2025. More than 30,000 women were excluded from nursing and midwifery programs. In 2025, Afghan women staged symbolic protests, including burning burqas in Herat and Kabul, leading to arrests and further repression that Amnesty International linked to rising gender based violence.
The male guardian (mahram) requirement was strictly enforced throughout 2025 in different Provences. Women arriving at health facilities without a male companion were refused care, including in emergency situations. Human Rights Watch documented multiple cases of such denials and reported that approximately 80 percent of rural women were unable to access healthcare due to movement restrictions and the mahram policy. These restrictions caused dangerous delays in treatment and increased complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
In November 2025, a Taliban order in Herat requiring full burqa access to hospitals caused a 28 percent drop in emergency admissions, with care denied based on clothing rather than medical need.
The UN Special Rapporteur in Afghanistan warned that these healthcare restrictions may amount to crimes against humanity and place millions of women at serious risk. he stated maternal mortality could increase by up to 50 percent, rising from 638 to 963 deaths per 100,000 live births if current policies continue. UNFPA estimated that the suspension of U.S. funding between 2025 and 2028 could result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths.
UN Women further warned that if restrictions continue into 2026, maternal mortality could rise by 50 percent, driven by increases in child marriage and adolescent pregnancies. The crisis has been intensified by a severe shortage of skilled birth attendants, with at least 18,000 additional midwives needed nationwide to meet basic maternal health needs.
The continued ban on women’s education in the medical and nursing fields since December 2024 deepened this crisis throughout 2025. More than 30,000 women were excluded from nursing and midwifery programs. In 2025, Afghan women staged symbolic protests, including burning burqas in Herat and Kabul, leading to arrests and further repression that Amnesty International linked to rising gender based violence.
Rukhsar Habibzai: Banning women from medical education creates a deadly loop, preventing them from becoming doctors while leaving women at risk due to the shortage of female healthcare providers.
