Taliban Restrictions Threaten Afghan Women's Health

Restrictions by the Taliban obstruct women's access to medical care, endangering lives, says U.N. expert Richard Bennett. Women face critical healthcare barriers, needing male guardians for treatment and ambulance use. The restrictions are an ingrained system of gender discrimination affecting healthcare and education, risking severe consequences like increased mortality.

Restrictions imposed by the Taliban are endangering the lives of women and children, often denying them emergency medical treatment, according to a U.N. human rights expert. Strict rules require sick or injured women to be accompanied by male guardians and treated by male medics, reported Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett.

Bennett highlighted instances where women, without male escorts, faced medical emergencies, such as childbirth at hospital gates and loss of a child due to travel restrictions. During a Geneva press conference, he warned that unless these policies are reversed, they risk increasing fatalities.

Bennett's report, shared with the Taliban, reflects a systematic gender discrimination that restricts women's autonomy over their health and future. With fewer female medics and education bans, the Afghan health system is at risk, triggering concerns of rising maternal and infant mortality rates, emphasized by former Afghan health minister Suraya Dalil.

(With inputs from agencies.)