Afghan women and girls deported from Pakistan and Iran are returning to a country where their rights are virtually non-existent and their survival is in jeopardy, a joint UN Women and CARE report warned on Thursday.
The report highlights how Taliban-imposed restrictions, economic collapse, and climate shocks have created a dangerous environment for returnees — particularly women and girls. Many are arriving with nothing, only to face poverty, abuse, forced marriage, and lack of access to shelter, education, and healthcare.
“Afghanistan today is no place for women,” said Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s representative in the country. “They are returning to a system that denies them freedom, identity, and safety.”
The report also notes that female aid workers — crucial to helping women on the ground — are being blocked by Taliban policies and shrinking foreign aid.
CARE’s Country Director, Graham Davison, described the situation as heartbreaking. “We’re seeing families in distress, with no hope and no resources.”
The UN is calling for urgent global action to provide immediate and long-term support — and to hold the Taliban accountable for the suffering of Afghan women.
