Thousands of Afghan women are at risk of being forced back into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where they face a regime of gender apartheid, following recent U.S. budget cuts and visa cancellations, according to a report by Forbes.
The Trump administration’s earlier move to halt refugee visa processing and cancel travel for 1,660 approved Afghan refugees, many of them women and girls, has triggered alarm among human rights advocates. In April 2025, it was also announced that Afghans with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S. would lose their legal protection in May, exposing them to potential deportation.
Adding to the crisis, over 80 Afghan women studying in Oman on U.S.-funded STEM scholarships were told their support would end by June 30, 2025. These women, enrolled under the U.S. Women’s Fellowships program, now face the prospect of returning to a country where their education, freedom, and safety are completely denied.
Under Taliban rule, Afghan women have been banned from education, employment, and public life, with strict enforcement that includes beatings, imprisonment, and torture for those who resist. The Taliban cite Sharia law to justify their policies, showing no signs of change despite international condemnation.
Women’s rights groups and legal experts worldwide are urging the global community to recognise the Taliban’s actions as gender apartheid—a term used to describe systematic oppression aimed at sustaining male dominance.
Forbes warns that while legal action through bodies like the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice is underway, global support is shrinking. Foreign aid is declining, refugee protections are being rolled back, and international responses remain inadequate.
“This is not just a humanitarian crisis,” the report concludes. “It’s a global failure to protect the future of Afghan women and girls. The time to act is now.”
