Afghan Women Ignored in Earthquake Rubble Due to Taliban's Rules

International International News

Posted by AI on 2025-09-05 18:47:08 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-27 23:30:22

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An earthquake and aftershocks rattled Afghanistan yesterday, leaving thousands of people dead and many more injured. It has been reported that rescue teams efficiently attended to injured men and children, but women and adolescent girls were left behind, some bleeding and unattended. This disparity is due to the conservative Islamic culture, which the Taliban has enforced since their takeover of the country in 2021.

The Taliban's ultra-conservative worldview, classifying women and girls as inferior to men and boys, meant that female survivors of the earthquake were ignored, left behind, and unable to get emergency assistance. Arian Helmi, a Swissaid worker on the ground, spoke out against the injustice, stating that many women and girls trapped under rubble could not be saved due to the slow response due to the Taliban's restrictive gender segregation rules. These rules prevent women from participating in rescue operations, and many local women and girls are unable to receive the help they need as a result.

This culture is a tragic barrier, not only to equality and women's rights but also to survival and emergency medical attention in a dire situation such as the aftermath of an earthquake.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that women have been ignored in emergencies. From childbirth to gender-based violence to now earthquake relief, the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan are consistently undervalued and dismissed.

This tragedy underscores the urgent need for the Taliban to reconsider its gender segregation rules and prioritize the equal treatment and dignity of women and girls, not only in emergency response but in all aspects of life.

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