UN Expert Warns Policies Crippling Women’s Healthcare in Afghanistan

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has warned that sweeping restrictions and sharp international funding cuts are severely undermining Afghan women’s access to essential healthcare services, deepening an already fragile health system.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, will present a new report on women’s and girls’ right to health at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thrusday, 26 February.

Bennett said Afghanistan’s health system has long been fragile due to decades of war, poverty and chronic underinvestment in infrastructure. However, he stressed that current restrictions have sharply worsened access to medical services for women and girls.

He identified three key drivers of the crisis: structural weakness in the healthcare system, restrictive policies imposed by the Taliban, and steep reductions in international funding.

According to Bennett, more than 400 clinics have been forced to close due to funding cuts, while working hours and staffing levels—especially among female doctors, nurses and midwives, have been significantly reduced.

He said Taliban policies banning women from medical education, restricting their freedom of movement and requiring a male guardian to visit clinics have created serious and expanding barriers to care. As a result, health outcomes for women and girls are continuing to deteriorate.

The report adopts a “multi-dimensional” approach, examining compounded discrimination. Women in rural areas, those with disabilities, elderly women and those without a male guardian face even greater obstacles in accessing physical, mental and reproductive healthcare services.

Despite the grim assessment, Bennett pointed to resilience among Afghan women and girls, describing their determination to pursue education as a sign of hope. He said education empowers individuals to understand and claim their rights.

Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have barred girls from secondary schools, universities and medical institutes, prompting widespread international concern about the long-term sustainability of Afghanistan’s health sector.

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