UN Women Sounds Alarm on Urgent Aid Needs for Afghan Women and Girls Returning from Iran and Pakistan

UN Women Sounds Alarm on Urgent Aid Needs for Afghan Women and Girls Returning from Iran and Pakistan

Kabul, August 8, 2025 – The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) has issued a stark warning about the urgent humanitarian needs facing Afghan women and girls returning from Iran and Pakistan. The agency reports that these returnees are arriving to extreme hardship, lacking access to basic necessities such as shelter, healthcare, income, and education.

Since September 2023, over 2 million undocumented Afghans have returned, many of whom were either born abroad or have spent decades outside their homeland. For many women and girls, this is their first encounter with life under Taliban rule, which has imposed severe restrictions on female rights and public participation.

High Risk and Limited Resources

In its latest statement, UN Women highlighted the alarming conditions these women face:

• Widespread poverty and food insecurity

• Increased risk of early and forced marriage

• Escalating cases of gender-based violence

• Minimal access to healthcare, education, or livelihoods

Only 10 percent of households headed by women have access to permanent shelter, while humanitarian organizations on the ground are overwhelmed by demand. Funding shortfalls are forcing aid providers to scale back even the most basic support services.

“Many of these women and girls are arriving in communities that are already under extreme economic and environmental stress,” the statement read. “Without urgent assistance, their situation will continue to deteriorate.”

Aid Workers Under Pressure

The burden is also falling heavily on humanitarian workers, especially female staff operating in border regions, who are navigating not only logistical challenges but also restrictions on women’s mobility and employment under the Taliban.

Despite the scale of the crisis, international aid is in decline, reducing the capacity of humanitarian groups to deliver life-saving services.

A Call for Action

UN Women and its partners are urging donors and the international community to step up investments in gender-sensitive aid programs tailored specifically to the needs of Afghan women and girls.

“This is not just a humanitarian issue—it’s a matter of rights and survival,” said a UN Women spokesperson. “We must act now to prevent further suffering and long-term instability.”

The agency emphasizes that support for returning women is essential to any meaningful recovery in Afghanistan, particularly as the country continues to face compounding crises of displacement, economic collapse, and gender apartheid.

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