he agency says it will continue its operations in what it describes as the world\u2019s most severe women\u2019s rights emergency.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the restrictions on women and girls and the current conflicts\u2026 no matter what, UN Women is staying and delivering in Afghanistan,\u201d said Susan Ferguson, the agency\u2019s country representative, speaking on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In 2025 alone, UN Women supported access to lifesaving services for more than 350 000 women and girls, while nearly 200 women\u2011led civil society organisations received assistance. But the agency warned that its work remains severely constrained. Because services for women must be delivered by women, UN Women is calling for the reversal of the ban preventing Afghan female UN staff and contractors from entering UN premises.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to find ways to operate and stand with those who need support the most,\u201d Ferguson said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ferguson said conditions for women have worsened significantly with the introduction of Taliban Decree No. 12 earlier this year. The directive formally eliminates legal equality between men and women and allows husbands to carry out punishments, including physical violence, within the home.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She urged the de facto authorities to ensure laws and policies uphold women\u2019s rights in line with Afghanistan\u2019s international obligations. She also warned the international community against \u201cnormalisation\u201d, stressing that sustained global engagement is essential. \u201cWhen we start to accept this as normal, we stop believing it can change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Following an airstrike in Kabul on Monday night that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, more than half of them women and children, Ms Ferguson said Afghan families were paying a \u201cheavy price\u201d for continuing violence. At least 64 000 people have been affected by escalating hostilities with Pakistan, with women and girls making up just over half.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many women, this is their second or even third time they have been forced to flee in the past year,\u201d she said. She also expects a \u201csharp increase in Afghans returning from Iran\u201d, including women travelling alone with children, in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Afghanistan\u2019s humanitarian needs continue to grow, with more than 10 million women and girls expected to require assistance this year, following economic collapse and the impact of the August 2025 earthquake. Rising prices linked to regional conflict are making survival even harder for families.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29148,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-29147","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"United Nations (UN) Women has reaffirmed its commitment to Afghan women and girls despite sweeping Taliban restrictions, growing insecurity and an expanding humanitarian crisis.\u00a0","published_date":"","news_description":"United Nations (UN) Women has reaffirmed its commitment to Afghan women and girls despite sweeping Taliban restrictions, growing insecurity and an expanding humanitarian crisis.\u00a0","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29149,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29147\/revisions\/29149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=29147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}