The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently called on Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to lift restrictions imposed on female aid workers so they can provide assistance to survivors of the deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan. Dr. Mukta Sharma, Deputy Representative of WHO for Afghanistan, raised this concern in an interview with Reuters, saying: “The very big issue right now is the increasing shortage of female staff in earthquake-affected areas.” She estimated that about 90 percent of the medical staff in the region are men, while the remaining 10 percent are mostly midwives and nurses rather than doctors who can treat severe injuries. The shortage of female doctors, she said, prevents injured women from accessing proper healthcare. The WHO also reported yesterday that a lack of vehicles to transport patients and the shortage of female health workers have limited the medical care available to earthquake survivors. The organization further stressed that the current government’s restrictions on women’s movement are also disrupting women’s and children’s access to healthcare. Sharma added that female aid workers and humanitarian organizations face uncertainty and, in some cases, are unable to take the risks required to carry out their duties. She emphasized: “The restrictions are very high. The issue of mahram (the requirement for a male guardian) continues, and no official exemptions have been provided.” She further expressed deep concern that women in the future may not be able to access mental health services, especially those coping with trauma or the loss of male family members. Meanwhile, the United Nations estimates that about 11,600 pregnant women have also been affected by the earthquake. Cuts in funding — including reductions by the United States this year — have pushed the healthcare system into an even deeper crisis. According to the WHO Deputy Representative, about 80 health centers in the affected areas have been forced to close this year due to the cut in U.S. aid, and another 16 health facilities were shut down because of earthquake damage.

Mohibullah Haidari, head of the Kunar provincial education department, says that following the recent deadly earthquake, 391 students have lost their lives, 760 others have been injured, and more than 157,000 students in the quake-affected areas have been deprived of education. Speaking to TOLOnews, Haidari stated: “Across Kunar, 157,074 students are currently deprived of education. In the earthquake, 391 students and three teachers lost their lives, while 760 students and 20 teachers were injured.” He emphasized that in Kunar, as in other warmer provinces, the academic year starts on September 6 (15th of Sunbula), but thousands of students in the quake-affected areas have been left without schooling. Students deprived of education are calling on officials and aid organizations to provide the means for them to continue their studies. Some students said: “The earthquake completely destroyed our school. We are very sad because there is no school here where we can study. Schools in other villages have also been destroyed, and we have been forced to come to camps.” Students have called for the establishment of mobile schools and urged aid organizations and the government to prioritize education in their relief efforts. According to the Kunar provincial education department, 53 schools were completely destroyed and another 253 were partially damaged as a result of the quake. The 6-magnitude earthquake on Sunday night, which struck eastern parts of the country, caused the most casualties and destruction in Kunar province. According to figures from the caretaker government, 2,205 people were killed and 3,640 others were injured in Kunar alone. Government officials also announced that 6,782 houses were destroyed in the province as a result of the earthquake.

One week after the deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that a shortage of vehicles for transporting patients and a lack of female health workers have hindered medical care for the earthquake’s injured. The organization stated on Sunday (September 7) in a report that restrictions imposed by the caretaker government on the movement of female staff also disrupt women’s and children’s access to healthcare. The report added that access to remote mountainous areas remains a major challenge, as landslides triggered by powerful aftershocks have blocked main roads. According to WHO, it is estimated that 84,000 people have been affected, with at least 2,205 deaths, 3,640 injuries, and 6,782 houses destroyed. Among the injured, 58 percent are men and 42 percent are women and girls. The report also highlighted that more than 10 percent of the injured are children under the age of five. WHO further stated that it has deployed six mobile health teams to the hardest-hit and most remote villages in Nurgal district of Kunar province, providing emergency services including trauma care, maternal and child health, counseling, and referrals. The organization noted that ambulance systems, facing severe shortages of functional vehicles, fuel, and trained staff—including female health personnel—are limiting timely access to higher-level care for critical cases. The report added that Afghanistan’s fragile healthcare system is also struggling with severe shortages of medicine and staff, particularly female health workers. WHO said that to scale up life-saving interventions and ensure access to the most vulnerable communities, an additional $4 million is urgently needed. This comes a week after the deadly earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, with Kunar province suffering the highest number of casualties and damages.

Save the Children has recently announced that last Sunday night’s deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has affected more than 260,000 children. In a report, the organization stated that 280 children have been left without parents as a result of the earthquake, while continuous aftershocks have terrified those who lost their homes and families. The report further said that the earthquake destroyed more than 5,000 houses, forcing families to sleep either in tents or in the open air. Save the Children also emphasized that some of these families are using old rice sacks as bedding. The report quoted Samira Syed Rahman, Advocacy Manager of Save the Children in Afghanistan, as saying: “With homes destroyed and many relatives and loved ones killed or injured, children are bearing the heavy burden of loss. The aftershocks constantly remind them of the terror they experienced during the earthquake.” She added: “In just a few seconds, everything was taken away from thousands of children. Every family I saw in Kunar had lost several members. This is a horrific time for children. The fear and grief they carry will not disappear with the clearing of debris.” One earthquake survivor in Kunar told Save the Children: “In our village, there are families who have lost 11 members. Another neighbor lost 15, and yet another lost five. We have many families like these.” The advocacy manager of Save the Children said the organization is providing urgent mental health support to children, but immediate and sustained funding is required, and donors must act now. She stressed that the lives and future of children in Kunar depend on the help and action of the international community. The 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night caused the most casualties and destruction in Kunar province. According to the interim government’s figures, 2,205 people lost their lives and 3,640 others were injured in Kunar. Government officials also announced that 6,782 houses were destroyed in Kunar due to the earthquake.

Amid the ongoing arrests and deportations of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, the country’s police have arrested Fatema Bakhtiari, a human rights activist. In a video message sent to Gowharshad Media, Bakhtiari stated that she was arrested on Wednesday night, September 12, and transferred to a “camp.” She did not specify in the video from which city she was detained. In the footage, visibly worried and in tears, the activist appealed to international organizations and refugee support groups for help. Bakhtiari claimed in the video that she had recently been living in hiding but was still detained by Pakistani police. She also expressed concern about being deported to Afghanistan. It is worth noting that in recent months, Pakistan has intensified the arrest and deportation of Afghan human rights defenders, protesting women, and former military personnel. The Pakistani government’s deportation of Afghan migrants has sparked a wave of criticism from human rights defenders and organizations, who have called for the expulsion to be halted. The government of Pakistan has set September 1 as the final deadline for return, which also includes holders of the PoR (Proof of Registration) cards.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has recently warned that the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan have placed women, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly at greater risk and vulnerability. In a statement posted on its official X account, the agency wrote that the shortage of female aid workers has made addressing the needs of women and girls an urgent necessity. The UNHCR further emphasized that Afghanistan was already facing severe drought and the return of millions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, and now the earthquakes have deepened the humanitarian crisis. The international agency added that millions of people in the earthquake-affected areas are in urgent need of shelter, food, and medical care, and without international assistance, many lives are at risk. The agency has called on the international community to urgently deliver humanitarian aid to those affected. This call for the participation of women and girls in social and health services comes as a 6-magnitude earthquake struck eastern provinces of Afghanistan last night. More than 1,400 people were killed and over 3,000 others injured in the quake. More than 5,000 homes were also destroyed in the earthquake.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the de facto government, announced that the death toll from the earthquake in Kunar has risen to 1,411. In a message posted on his X account today (Tuesday, September 2), Mr. Mujahid also stated that the number of injured in this deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has reached 3,124. He further emphasized that 5,412 houses in the districts of Nurgal, Suki, Chapa Dara, Pech Dara, Watapur, and Asadabad of Kunar have been destroyed. However, moments earlier, the Afghan Red Crescent Society, which is under the administration of the de facto authorities, reported the earthquake death toll in Kunar at 1,124. The Afghan Red Crescent added that more than 8,000 houses have been destroyed in eastern Afghanistan due to the earthquake. The organization also noted that many people remain trapped under the rubble of their homes. Yesterday, officials reported 800 deaths and around 3,000 injuries. Meanwhile, local sources in Kunar told Goharshad media that rescue operations face serious challenges due to difficult access roads. The source emphasized that rescue teams from various agencies have not yet been able to reach some areas of Mazaar Valley in Nurgal district. It should be noted that a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern provinces of Afghanistan last night. Nevertheless, international organizations and government officials have stressed the importance of delivering aid and services to the families of the victims and the injured.

The United Nations Women’s Division has recently announced that, according to a survey conducted by the organization, 92 percent of Afghans support the education of women and girls and oppose the stance of the de facto authorities on banning girls’ education. In a statement, the agency said the survey was conducted through door-to-door interviews, covering the views of 2,190 Afghan citizens on girls’ education. The findings show that in rural communities, 87 percent of men and 95 percent of women support girls’ education, while in urban communities, 95 percent of both men and women are in favor. The statement quoted Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, as saying: “Almost always the first thing girls tell us is that they are eager to learn and only want a chance to go to school.” Ferguson further emphasized: “Families have also said they want their daughters to have this dream. They know that literacy and learning can change the trajectory of a girl’s life in a country where half of the population lives in poverty.” Sophia Calthorpe, Head of Humanitarian Affairs at UN Women, also said in a press conference that support for girls’ education among both men and women in Afghanistan’s rural and urban communities is “remarkable.” She stressed that nine out of ten people included in the survey said they oppose the current government’s restrictions on girls’ education, adding that these restrictions do not reflect the views of the people. According to findings from the UN Women’s Gender Alert report, 92 percent of respondents said that access to secondary education for girls is essential. The report also stated that among men, 63 percent described a father who supports his daughter’s education as “pious,” which reflects their deep alignment with the right to education for girls. UN Women further warned of the consequences of banning girls’ education and the restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities. According to UN Women’s report, the impact of these restrictions goes beyond the economy and systematically undermines women’s ability to envision a future in which they can work, lead, and participate. The Head of Humanitarian Affairs at UN Women called for concrete responses to Afghan women and girls in the face of these restrictions, describing the situation as one of the world’s greatest “tests” in the field of gender equality.

UN experts have recently warned against the imminent expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, saying that women and girls are among the most vulnerable groups who would face serious risks if forcibly returned to Afghanistan. In a statement, the experts noted that while millions of Afghans are on the verge of deportation from Pakistan, Afghanistan itself is grappling with severe crises and is unprepared to absorb such a large wave of returnees. The statement said that millions of Afghans in Pakistan are at risk of being sent back to a country facing a deep humanitarian crisis, where women and girls are deprived of their most basic rights, including freedom of movement, education, and employment. The experts further warned that mass deportations from Pakistan would halt the education of thousands of Afghan children and adolescents—particularly girls, who are already banned from schooling beyond grade six in Afghanistan. They added that women heads of households, as well as those without a male guardian, would be placed in especially difficult situations if deported, since they lack both safe shelter and support networks to ensure their security and livelihoods. According to the UN experts, the principle of non-refoulement is a binding obligation under international law, and no country has the right to return individuals to places where their life or freedom would be at risk. They called on the Government of Pakistan to immediately halt the deportation plan and honor its international commitments. The statement also stressed that Afghan women and girls, already suffering under the restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities, face a heightened risk of exclusion, and deportations would further endanger their lives and futures. While appreciating Pakistan’s decades-long hosting of millions of Afghan refugees, the experts urged the international community to step up support for Afghan women and girls and take greater responsibility in their resettlement. It should be noted that on July 31, the Pakistani government announced that under the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” all Afghans—including holders of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards—must leave the country by September 1.