Surge in Afghan Women’s Suicides Reveals Mental Health Crisis under Taliban
The mental health crisis facing Afghan women under the Taliban regime has led to a sharp rise in suicides, according to data collected by healthcare workers. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, women have faced increasingly severe restrictions on their rights and freedoms, resulting in a worsening mental health situation. The data, which covers a third of the country’s provinces and spans from August 2021 to 2022, likely underreports the true scale of the problem due to the stigma surrounding suicide in Afghanistan.
Taliban authorities have not released official data on suicides and have reportedly prevented health workers from sharing updated statistics in multiple provinces. However, the available data highlights the concerns raised by UN officials, healthcare providers, and human rights activists since the Taliban assumed control. Each new restriction placed on women and girls further exacerbates their exclusion from public life and increases their vulnerability to mental health issues.
The edicts issued by the Taliban have severely curtailed women’s rights, including their freedom of movement, education, work, and access to healthcare. The Taliban’s restrictions on healthcare professionals treating women and the decimation of the country’s health system due to conflicts have particularly hindered Afghan women’s access to essential medical services, including mental health support. The dismantling of efforts by the previous government to address domestic violence has further compounded the sense of despair.
These discriminatory policies and the harsh enforcement methods employed by the Taliban constitute gender persecution and an institutionalized framework of gender apartheid, according to a recent joint report by UN experts. The increased rate of suicide among women can also be attributed to factors such as food insecurity, poverty, widespread domestic violence, and forced marriages.
Protests by Afghan women demanding their rights have been met with excessive force, intimidation, and violence from the Taliban. Reports suggest that some protestors have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured, and even killed. There have been instances where detainees were subjected to rape and coerced into becoming informants for the Taliban. The closure of women-only beauty salons, one of the few public spaces where women could gather, has also sparked protests that were met with force by the Taliban security forces.
The plight of Afghan women and girls has become a contentious issue in the international debate around normalizing relations with the Taliban. While no country has formally recognized the Taliban-led government, some nations have taken steps towards soft normalization with the regime. China and Russia, for example, have expressed interest in establishing ties with the Taliban. However, human rights advocates argue that granting international legitimacy to the Taliban would reduce the leverage to advocate for the restoration of women’s and girls’ rights.
As the Taliban’s rule endures, the mental health crisis among Afghan women and girls is expected to worsen. The international community faces a difficult decision between engagement and upholding human rights standards. While regional security, counterterrorism efforts, and humanitarian concerns are important, the rights and well-being of Afghan women and girls should be prioritized in any discussions with the Taliban.
