Key facts
- Half of Afghan women leave their homes only once or twice a month.
- 2.4 million Afghan girls are barred from secondary education.
- Afghanistan is the only country to ban girls from secondary education and women from university.
- Over 100 decrees targeting women and girls have been issued by Taliban authorities.
- Seven in 10 women report poor mental health.
- Only 7% of women are employed.
Half of Afghan women now leave their homes only once or twice a month as Taliban-imposed restrictions curtail their freedom of movement and participation in public life, according to data released by UN Women. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world to ban girls from secondary education and women from attending university. The Taliban authorities have issued more than 100 decrees targeting women and girls since taking power, institutionalizing discrimination and deepening the world's most severe women's rights crisis. The Taliban argue they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture. More than half of women surveyed reported leaving home twice a month or less, while nearly three-quarters said they felt unsafe going out without a male guardian. The restrictions have also fuelled a worsening mental health crisis, with seven in 10 women describing their mental health as 'bad' or 'very bad'. Recent decrees have further weakened women's legal protections, abolishing legal equality between men and women before the law and making it more difficult for women to seek divorce. Only 7% of women are employed compared with 84% of men.