Withering roots: The waning health and resilience of the women left behind in Afghanistan

August 6, 2025

After launching the Women in Afghanistan (WIA) program in 2014, agriculture professor Sophia Wilcox connected with numerous Afghan women whose lives have been devastated by the Taliban's return to power in 2021. The article profiles three women affected by the regime change: Fatima, an education activist now in hiding with her family; Dr. Zahra, a midwife restricted from properly practicing her profession; and Dr. Maryam, a former polio vaccination advocate who managed to escape to the US. Their stories illustrate the severe regression of women's rights in Afghanistan, where education for girls is banned and healthcare workers face extreme restrictions, compounded by the freezing of refugee admissions programs that might have offered escape routes.

Who is affected

Afghan women, particularly those who were previously activists, professionals, or educators
Female healthcare workers like midwives and medical professionals
Girls and young women banned from secondary and higher education
Pregnant women and mothers who lack proper medical care
Children at risk of preventable diseases like polio
Families of targeted women who face danger by association
Afghan refugees who cannot access promised evacuation pathways

What action is being taken

Women like Fatima are living in hiding, confined indoors and moving locations for safety
Dr. Zahra continues working as a midwife under severely restricted conditions imposed by the Taliban
Dr. Maryam, after escaping to the US, works as a substitute teacher while pursuing a public health certificate
The Taliban is actively enforcing restrictions on women's education and employment through searches, threats, and "Promotion of Virtue" enforcement teams
Pakistan is currently detaining and deporting undocumented Afghans

Why it matters

Afghanistan is now the only country that bans both secondary and higher education for girls, reversing decades of progress
Healthcare access for women has dramatically deteriorated, affecting maternal and child health outcomes
Public health initiatives like polio vaccination campaigns have been suspended or restricted in a country where polio remains endemic
The situation represents a failure of promised evacuation pathways (SIV, P1, and P2 programs) for Afghans who worked with or supported US initiatives
The targeted persecution of educated women and professionals represents a severe human rights crisis and loss of critical community leaders

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices