The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for Afghanistan has recently stated that the restrictive policies of the de facto government significantly hindered the humanitarian aid process during the second half of 2024.
In a report published on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the agency noted that the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law, passed on August 21, 2024, has severely limited the freedoms of both women and men, including bans on music and the display of images of living beings.
The report also states that, as of December 2, 2024, women and girls have been completely banned from receiving medical education—a decision that has had a profoundly negative impact on access to essential health services.
Nevertheless, in 2024, over 20 million people in Afghanistan received humanitarian aid, including 6 million women and 5.1 million girls.
However, the restrictions imposed by the current government have drastically reduced Afghan women’s and girls’ access to education, healthcare, and employment in aid organizations.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have imposed widespread restrictions on the fundamental rights and freedoms of women, barring them from education and work.
As a result, millions of school-age girls have been deprived of education.
Additionally, women have been banned from going to gyms, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian, and working in domestic and international NGOs—including UN offices within Afghanistan.
