According to United Nations sources, the Taliban has halted the distribution of humanitarian aid to women in some districts of Herat, informing aid organizations that only male family members will be allowed to receive assistance from now on, News.az reports citing foreign media.
These sources told Amu TV that women are being excluded from receiving aid because they are deemed “non-mahram,” or unrelated to the aid workers distributing the assistance. The move has sparked fears among women that the suspension of aid will leave their children at risk of hunger.Humanitarian agencies operating in Herat said the Taliban have instructed aid workers to develop lists of male recipients to receive aid on behalf of their families. The directive has created significant challenges for aid organizations, particularly for female-headed households without a male guardian.
An aid worker in Herat, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, said, “We have lists of women eligible to receive aid, and their fingerprints must be registered as part of the process. But the Taliban have halted distributions, claiming that recording women’s fingerprints is impermissible and sinful.”
Some aid organizations have reported that the Taliban proposed three options: distributing aid exclusively to men, requiring women to have a male guardian present, or allocating 50 percent of the aid directly to the Taliban.
The suspension of aid has left many women and children on the brink of starvation. Female recipients expressed frustration, saying the Taliban’s restrictions prioritize men and neglect women’s needs.
Jamila, a Herat resident, said, “We are desperate. Women are sick, our children are starving, and there is no aid for us. Everything is given to men. I can’t even afford medicine, and my grandchildren have nothing to eat.”
Another woman, Fawzia, added, “We have no male guardians, no oil, no rice, no flour. My young son is starving, and no one cares. We are left hungry and thirsty with no place to turn.”
According to the United Nations, 22.9 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance. The suspension of U.S. funding and the Taliban’s increasing restrictions have further exacerbated the crisis, leaving aid organizations struggling to meet the overwhelming need.
The Taliban’s recent actions, including halting aid to women, have drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and humanitarian organizations, who warn that such policies are deepening Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian situation.
