Witness accounts from eastern Afghanistan suggest that some women and girls remained trapped or untreated after a series of earthquakes because male rescuers avoided physical contact with females who were not relatives.
The reports follow a 6.0-magnitude quake on 31 August 2025 and powerful aftershocks in subsequent days that have killed more than 2,200 people and injured over 3,600, largely in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.
Accounts gathered by local and international outlets describe emergency teams evacuating injured men and children first, while women were told to wait or were moved aside. In one testimony from Kunar province, a 19-year-old woman said, “They gathered us in one corner and forgot about us,” adding that bleeding girls were left without immediate care. Cultural rules—reinforced by Taliban authorities—prohibit non-related men from touching women, leading some responders to avoid contact or attempt rescues by pulling victims by their clothing.
The death toll rose during the week as aftershocks struck the same region. Reuters reported at least 2,205 fatalities and 3,640 injuries as of Friday, with homes built of mud and timber collapsing across mountainous districts. Poor access, landslides and damaged roads have hampered relief operations, and agencies have warned of shortages of shelter, food and medical supplies.
UN Women said that, as in previous disasters, women and girls are likely to “bear the brunt” of the crisis and called for female aid workers to be central to the response. Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, urged that their needs be placed “at the heart of the response and recovery.” Media carrying the agency’s statement stressed that without female humanitarians, many women and girls may be excluded from life-saving assistance.
Afghanistan faces a long-standing shortage of female health personnel. The gap has widened under restrictions introduced since 2021, including bans on secondary and higher education for girls and women and limits on women’s employment in much of the public sphere and the humanitarian sector. In December 2024, Taliban authorities extended prohibitions to medical education, including nursing and midwifery training—measures condemned by health and rights organisations for further constraining access to care for women.
Aid access is further complicated by the broader operating environment. Women’s work with NGOs was barred by decree in December 2022, later extended to the UN in 2023, though some health exemptions have been inconsistently applied. Humanitarian groups argue that these rules impede outreach to women and girls and reduce the effectiveness of emergency relief.
Alongside the immediate emergency, a separate controversy has drawn attention to the status of women. In late August, former CIA officer Sarah Adams published images of senior Taliban officials’ wives taken from diplomatic passports, launching an online campaign intended to highlight disparities in how women are documented and able to travel. Around the same time, Taliban authorities stated that photographs of women on national identity cards would be optional—a change criticised by activists as erasing women from official records. Afghan outlets reported the decision was endorsed by the group’s religious authorities.
Rescue work in the quake-hit areas is expected to continue amid frequent aftershocks. International agencies, including the UN and WHO, have appealed for additional funding, warning of risks from overcrowding and poor sanitation in temporary shelters. The combination of seismic damage, difficult terrain and limited capacity is likely to prolong recovery across affected districts.
Local needs identified by humanitarian agencies include emergency shelter, safe spaces for women and girls, basic medical supplies, hygiene kits and access to female health staff. Delivery will depend on security, logistics and the extent to which organisations can deploy female personnel in line with international humanitarian standards.
The situation remains fluid. Authorities and relief groups continue to assess damage and revise casualty figures as access improves. Early indications suggest a protracted recovery, with women and girls facing particular barriers to assistance unless dedicated measures are adopted in the response.
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