How the Taliban Has Halted Afghanistan’s Reconstruction by Excluding Women

Kokcha News Agency – In the aftermath of war, social services are often the first to suffer, with budgets typically diverted to military expenses. Social reconstruction is a complex and essential process for restoring a society’s identity, roles, relationships, institutions, and overall well-being. Historically, women have played a central and pioneering role in this process, leading efforts to rebuild social services, improve facilities, restore destroyed healthcare systems, and address the psychological and social scars of war.

However, in Afghanistan, this vital role has been systematically ignored. Since the Taliban’s return to power, women and girls have not only been excluded from participating in the country’s reconstruction but have been pushed to the margins, becoming victims of the very system they could have helped rebuild. Analysts argue that women’s participation in post-war social recovery is “absolutely essential,” yet the current Pashtunwali-based Emirate of Afghanistan has created the biggest obstacle to reconstruction by denying women access to education, work, and social freedoms.

In post-war societies, communities often face the destruction of healthcare centers, a shortage of specialists, and a lack of medicines and equipment. In such situations, women, driven by their inherent concern for the health of their families and communities, are the first to mobilize to address these deficiencies. They join relief organizations or form volunteer groups, offering their skills and experience to society. This reflects their maternal role and their altruism in the face of war’s hardships. Yet, in today’s Afghanistan, this immense capacity has been forcibly sidelined by a regressive tribal system. Thousands of female healthcare professionals, barred from working, are unable to serve a society that desperately needs them.

Women’s roles extend beyond primary healthcare; they are also crucial in developing mechanisms to address psychological trauma, sexual violence, malnutrition, and displacement. Historical examples, such as the former Yugoslavia, show how women organized self-help groups to assist refugees and eventually established powerful community-based institutions to provide psychological, social, and legal services. This is precisely the capacity that Afghanistan, after four decades of war, urgently needs. However, the Taliban’s misogynistic policies have suppressed any possibility of such initiatives.

Education is another critical avenue for reconstruction, as it builds human capabilities and improves employment opportunities. Women have always been at the forefront of education, as seen in Mozambique and Uganda, where female teachers began educating children even in refugee camps. For women, education plays a prominent role in post-war recovery, even if they themselves were previously deprived of it due to political and social reasons. However, in Afghanistan, this “even if” has turned into a bitter and all-encompassing reality. By closing the doors of schools and universities to girls, the Taliban has not only destroyed their future but also the very foundation of a nation’s reconstruction.

Post-war reconstruction offers a unique opportunity to establish new laws, bring in new leaders, and create fresh institutions. This opportunity should be used to focus on women’s rights and recognize their indispensable role in rebuilding society. Economists also emphasize the unparalleled importance of women’s full political, social, and economic participation, as women not only make up the majority of the post-war population but also bear the responsibility of raising the next generation. Educating women is the engine of development and reconstruction, as educated women pay more attention to health, nutrition, and better upbringing of children, ultimately benefiting society as a whole.

Yet, in today’s Afghanistan, this engine of development has been deliberately shut down. Instead of giving women “greater control over resources,” which is essential for investing in education and health, they have been deprived of even the most basic financial and economic rights. Ignoring women’s role has not just “delayed” the development process but has brought it to a complete standstill.

Income inequality, job disparities, education gaps, and political underrepresentation, rooted in gender inequality, have reached their peak in Afghanistan. Despite international slogans and institutions, Afghan women are crushed under the weight of economic and cultural poverty, illiteracy, isolation, blind prejudices, and the systematic violation of their civil and human rights. These deprivations are powerful barriers to any development program.

There is no doubt that poverty and gender discrimination are influenced by historical issues and social norms, but in Afghanistan, this phenomenon has become an official state policy. By deliberately depriving women of education, work, and freedom, the Taliban is not only victimizing women but also destroying the entire society’s ability to recover, rebuild, and move toward a stable and prosperous future. Reconstruction without women is not only “far less effective,” but in today’s Afghanistan, it is fundamentally impossible.