WASHINGTON (May 13, 2026) – In Afghanistan, the Taliban has removed women from public spaces such as the workforce, health care and education. In addition, male workers are limited in the ways they can assist female patients due to the Taliban’s restrictions. Recently, female healthcare workers were stopped at the gates of a United Nations office and banned from entering the facility.
Future generations of female professionals have already been eliminated by the Taliban’s ban on girls from attending schools. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), estimates the ban could cost Afghanistan 25,000 teachers and health-care workers.
For more analysis on these developments please consider Shirley Graham, Director of the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs (GEIA), Program Director for the Global Gender Policy Program, and Associate Professor of Practice in International Affairs at George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs. Shirley is a member of the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace & Security (WPS) a coalition of experts serving to inform and educate U.S. Congress, the Administration, and civil society on WPS thematic areas and issues.
To schedule an interview, please contact Nadia Payne at nadia [dot] payne
gwu [dot] edu (nadia[dot]payne[at]gwu[dot]edu) or GW Media Relations at gwmediagwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-