Afghan Women Struggle Amid Earthquake and Taliban Gender Rules

A devastating earthquake recently struck Afghanistan, killing over 2,200 people and injuring more than 3,600. Entire villages were destroyed, leaving homes, schools, and hospitals in ruins. While the natural disaster itself caused immense loss, the situation became far worse for Afghan women because of strict gender rules and centuries-old cultural customs.

Gender Rules Make Rescue Harder

In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, women face severe restrictions. One of the most harmful rules during emergencies is that men cannot touch women who are not their close relatives. This means male rescue workers are often unable to help women trapped under debris unless a male relative is present.

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Many women caught in the earthquake were left behind because rescuers hesitated to touch them. The rule, known as “no skin contact with unrelated males,” forbids men from assisting women physically, even in life-and-death situations.

As a result, women were often the last to be rescued—or sometimes not rescued at all. In some areas, male rescuers pulled out the dead first and avoided helping injured women to respect cultural rules.

Lack of Female Rescue Workers

The problem was made worse by a shortage of female rescue and medical workers. Under Taliban policies, women are banned from studying medicine and working in most public roles. This has created a severe shortage of female doctors, nurses, and volunteers, particularly in rural areas hit hardest by disasters.

Female victims often had to wait hours or even days before other women could arrive to help. Some were trapped under rubble for long periods, worsening their injuries or, tragically, leading to death.

Tahzeebullah Muhazeb, a male volunteer, described the harsh reality: women trapped under debris were left waiting while men and children were rescued first. If no male relative was nearby, rescuers sometimes dragged bodies by clothing to avoid physical contact.

Personal Stories Highlight the Tragedy

The human cost of these rules is heartbreaking. Bibi Aysha, a woman from Kunar Province, shared her experience: “They gathered us in one corner and forgot about us.” She and other women were injured and bleeding but received no immediate help. No one asked them what they needed or even approached them.

In Mazar Dara village, a similar scene unfolded. Injured women had to sit apart from men and children, waiting for care. It was only when female rescuers from neighboring areas arrived that some women could finally receive help.

These stories underline a harsh truth: in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, gender rules often matter more than lives in emergencies.

Earthquake Devastation and Statistics

The earthquake that struck Afghanistan was a magnitude 6 disaster. Over 2,200 people died, 3,600 were injured, and countless homes, schools, and hospitals were reduced to rubble. Villages in mountainous regions, such as Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman provinces, were particularly hard hit.

The natural disaster exposed the unequal treatment of women. Survivors, aid workers, and doctors all report that women suffered disproportionately because of rules preventing male rescuers from physically assisting them.

UN and International Concerns

Susan Ferguson, the UN Women representative in Afghanistan, warned that “Women and girls will again bear the brunt of this disaster. Their needs must be at the heart of the response and recovery.”

The United Nations and other human rights organizations stress that emergency responses must consider the unique needs of women. However, Taliban policies make this extremely difficult.

Taliban Response

Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Health, acknowledged the lack of female healthcare workers but claimed that women were serving in hospitals across the affected provinces to treat earthquake victims. Nevertheless, journalists reported hospitals with no female staff at all, highlighting a severe gap in care for women.

Broader Gender Discrimination in Afghanistan

The earthquake disaster is only one example of the challenges Afghan women face under Taliban rule. Over the past four years, the Taliban have implemented strict gender policies that restrict women’s freedom and opportunities:

• Girls are banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade.

• Women must have a male guardian to travel, even for short distances.

• Employment opportunities for women are disappearing. They are banned from working in most sectors, including NGOs and humanitarian organizations.

Even Afghan women employed by international agencies face harassment and threats. Some organizations have instructed female staff to work from home to ensure their safety.

The Social and Economic Impact

Experts warn that these restrictions not only harm women but also weaken the country as a whole. By preventing women from working or receiving education, the Taliban are undermining Afghanistan’s social cohesion, economic growth, and long-term development.

The earthquake exposed how dangerous and life-threatening these restrictions can be in emergencies. With so few female medical workers, women in rural areas remain vulnerable to injury and death in disasters.

Stories from the Ground

Bibi Aysha’s experience shows the immediate danger. Injured women were left behind for hours while men and children were rescued first. Tahzeebullah Muhazeb, the volunteer, explained that cultural rules prevented male rescuers from helping women, leaving them almost invisible during the crisis.

In some cases, women had to rely on strangers from neighboring villages to rescue them. This situation could have been avoided if female rescue workers were available locally.

Urgent Need for Gender-Sensitive Disaster Response

The tragedy in Afghanistan highlights the urgent need for gender-sensitive disaster response planning. Female medical and rescue workers should be trained and deployed in areas vulnerable to natural disasters. Relief agencies must consider cultural norms and find safe ways to provide care to women.

International pressure on the Taliban to allow women in medical and public roles remains crucial. Without access to education and employment, women will continue to face life-threatening barriers in emergencies.

The recent earthquake in Afghanistan was devastating for everyone, but it has been especially tragic for women. Strict gender rules, a shortage of female medical workers, and cultural restrictions meant many women were left waiting for help or were ignored entirely.

Personal stories, like those of Bibi Aysha and others in Kunar and Mazar Dara, reveal the human cost of these rules. While international organizations like the UN call for women’s needs to be prioritized, Taliban policies continue to prevent meaningful action.

As Afghanistan continues to recover from the earthquake, experts warn that unless gender-sensitive policies are implemented, women will continue to suffer disproportionately in future disasters. The lives and safety of Afghan women depend not only on rescue efforts but also on meaningful changes to the country’s strict gender rules.