Gendered Crisis: How Restrictions on Women Hampered Afghanistan’s Earthquake Response

A devastating magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring some 3,600, according to Taliban authorities. The tragedy in the worst-hit Kunar and Nangarhar provinces affected nearly half a million people, with relief efforts continuing weeks after the disaster. However, the response has been shadowed by a critical and deliberate absence: that of women.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban government has systematically erased women from public life. In 2022, it banned women from working in national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A year later, it extended this ban to the United Nations and other international bodies. While some NGOs have negotiated limited exceptions allowing female staff to work if accompanied by a mahram (a male guardian), the number of women in the aid sector has plummeted.

This policy has created a profound dilemma for humanitarian operations in a country heavily dependent on international aid. The recent earthquake has thrown this crisis into sharp relief, revealing the complex and often devastating consequences of excluding half the population from both receiving and delivering aid.

A Lifeline Denied: The Critical Shortage of Female Aid Workers

The immediate impact of the ban was a critical shortage of female personnel at the disaster site. The World Health Organization (WHO) urgently called for the restrictions to be lifted, highlighting a “paucity of female staff.” Mukta Sharma, a WHO representative in Kabul, noted that nearly 90% of the medical staff in the affected region were men. The remaining female healthcare workers were primarily midwives and nurses, often untrained to handle severe trauma injuries.

This shortage had direct, life-threatening consequences. Fatema, a volunteer who shared only her first name, described to Al Jazeera how Afghanistan’s strict social codes, compounded by the absence of female responders, hindered rescue efforts. “The unwillingness of many male volunteers to touch women… meant that many women still remain missing due to the neglect,” she reported after returning from Kunar.

This is not an isolated issue. Susan Ferguson, the UN Women’s special representative in Afghanistan, pointed to a grim pattern. “In the 2023 Herat earthquake, nearly six out of 10 of those who lost their lives were women, and nearly two-thirds of those injured were women,” she stated, emphasizing that cultural restrictions consistently make it harder for women to access support.

A Contradictory Reality: Male Help Arrives, But Gaps Remain

Despite these systemic barriers, the on-the-ground reality presents a more complex picture. Many women survivors interviewed by Al Jazeera reported being helped by male rescue workers. Gulalai, a resident of Aurak Dandila village who lost all six of her children, was badly wounded and carried to safety by her brother-in-law. She recounted how a rescue team, all men, later cleaned her wounds, patched her injuries, and evacuated her via helicopter.

Taliban officials echoed this, insisting their response was impartial. Najibullah Haqqani, Kunar’s provincial director for the Ministry of Information and Culture, stated, “We evacuated and cared for everyone.” He described a clinic set up by UNICEF with female doctors and emphasized that in an emergency, “the priority is saving lives,” suggesting a pragmatic, if temporary, relaxation of strict gender norms in the face of catastrophe.

The Lingering Crisis in the Camps: Beyond Immediate Rescue

While the initial rescue phase saw some flexibility, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in displacement camps reveals the deeper, more intractable problems caused by the ban. A UN assessment found thousands of families still sheltering in open spaces, where a lack of gender-segregated toilets and washing facilities creates immense hardship, particularly for women and girls.

“They often wait until late at night or early in the morning to use the toilets in the camps,” said Ruhila Mateen, a spokeswoman for the Afghan aid organization Aseel. This practice poses security risks and health problems, with women reporting illnesses like fever and diarrhea due to unhygienic conditions. Sending aid, Mateen argued, is ineffective without the necessary infrastructure and personnel to administer it. “Sending medicines without doctors to deliver them or sending hygiene kits for women without providing access to toilets is not of much use,” she said.

A Healthcare System on the Brink: The Long-Term Toll

The earthquake has exacerbated a pre-existing crisis in women’s healthcare. Although female medical professionals are technically still allowed to work, many have fled the country since the Taliban’s takeover. Those who remain face severe restrictions on their movement, often requiring a mahram to travel to work. Furthermore, the Taliban’s ban on women’s higher education has halted the pipeline of new female doctors and nurses, ensuring the shortage will only worsen.

This has dire implications for maternal health. Pashtana Durrani, founder of Learn Afghanistan, an NGO that defies the ban to train midwives, explained that pregnant women are especially vulnerable. Conservative norms make it difficult or impossible for them to consult male doctors on reproductive health issues. Durrani’s team of five female medical workers treated some pregnant women in Nangarhar, but the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates over 11,600 pregnant women were affected by the quake. This is a grave concern in a country that already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region.

A Glimmer of Hope? Pragmatism and Local Acceptance

Despite the overwhelming challenges, some aid workers see signs of cautious progress. Durrani reported that local communities, while conservative, were pragmatic and welcoming. “They have been very open to receiving help and support,” she said, suggesting that the urgency of the crisis can sometimes soften rigid social barriers.

This local acceptance underscores a critical point made by Ferguson of UN Women: female humanitarians are not just desirable, they are essential. “Without them, too many women and girls will miss out on life-saving assistance,” she said. “It is essential that women are delivering assistance to women and girls.”

Conclusion: A Self-Inflicted Wound

The earthquake was a natural disaster, but the limitations of the response were man-made. The Taliban’s restrictions on women workers created a gendered crisis within a crisis, ensuring that the most vulnerable—women and girls—would be the hardest to reach and assist. While the heroic efforts of male and female aid workers, often working under immense constraints, saved countless lives, the policy systematically hampered their mission. The earthquake response demonstrates with tragic clarity that excluding women from public life and the workforce is not only a violation of human rights but also a profound impediment to effective governance and humanitarian action, ultimately harming the entire nation.