The figure, drawn from recently compiled humanitarian assessments, means 14.2 million women and girls now require immediate protection and support as Afghanistan marks the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has issued one of its starkest warnings since the Taliban takeover, reporting that the number of Afghan women and girls facing heightened risk of violence has increased by 40 per cent in just two years. The figure, drawn from recently compiled humanitarian assessments, means 14.2 million women and girls now require immediate protection and support as Afghanistan marks the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The crisis unfolds as protection services, already stretched thin, continue to shrink due to financial shortfalls, operational restrictions, and the near-elimination of women’s public participation. UNAMA officials stressed that Afghan women today face a “complex and compounded” system of violence: legal, social, physical, economic, and digital. The combined impact, they warned, is pushing millions into silent suffering with few avenues for help.

The annual campaign, observed globally from 25 November to 10 December, is typically a moment for mobilisation. This year, for Afghanistan, it comes with a plea for urgent international solidarity, sustained funding, and unequivocal support for women-led organisations that remain the last lifeline for many survivors.

Deteriorating Protection Services as Needs Skyrocket

UNAMA notes that while the need for shelter, legal aid, psychosocial assistance, and emergency protection has grown sharply, services on the ground have simultaneously contracted. Cuts to humanitarian budgets over the past year have forced many civil-society groups to reduce programming, trim outreach activities, or close safe spaces entirely.

According to UN partners, funding reductions have been especially damaging for women-led organisations, which lost an estimated 20 per cent of their budgets this year. These groups traditionally play a critical role in responding to gender-based violence – managing local hotlines, providing crisis counselling, coordinating shelter referrals, and running small-scale livelihood training. Yet many now operate at half capacity or on short-term emergency grants.

UN staff emphasise that the decline in services is happening at the worst possible time. Restrictions on women’s employment, public mobility, and access to education have left millions of women dependent on humanitarian support for safety, information, and economic survival. With diminished services, women at risk of violence have fewer options to seek help.

‘Still Together’: UNAMA Calls for Global Backing in New Campaign Push

This year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign in Afghanistan runs under the theme “Still Together: Stand with Afghan Women,” adapted to reflect the exceptional pressures Afghan women are living under. UNAMA’s message centres on four urgent demands:

1. Increased and flexible funding for gender-based violence response.
2. Stronger support for women’s civil-society organisations, including community-led initiatives.
3. Global advocacy to preserve women’s rights and rebuild systems of protection.
4. Recognition of digital access as a core protection tool, not a luxury.

UNAMA has repeatedly urged donors to commit to long-term, predictable resources rather than short-term humanitarian tranches. The mission argues that funding women-led groups is not only a moral obligation but an evidence-based approach: grassroots organisations have proven to be the most effective in reaching survivors discreetly, especially in conservative or remote communities.

Officials also highlighted the importance of engaging men and boys as allies. The UN’s outreach activities during the 16 Days campaign include community dialogues, educational programmes, and partnerships with male community leaders who have the influence to challenge harmful norms. UNAMA said sustainable change cannot be achieved without involving Afghan men in violence prevention.

Digital Connectivity Emerges as a Lifeline – and a Vulnerability

A striking element of this year’s campaign is the UN’s emphasis on digital access as a protection mechanism for women. UNAMA warns that women’s ability to use mobile phones, messaging apps, or online platforms has become “a critical lifeline”, enabling them to seek help, report violence, or find support discreetly.

The recent 48-hour internet shutdown in Afghanistan underscored the enormous vulnerability created by loss of connectivity. Women in abusive environments rely heavily on digital communication to reach protection networks; without it, many are left isolated. Humanitarian actors also depend on online tools to coordinate case referrals and deliver remote counselling, especially in areas where in-person engagement is restricted.

UN officials argue that digital access must be protected and expanded as part of any long-term plan to safeguard Afghan women. Without connectivity, survivors of abuse lose one of the last safe channels available to them.

A Climate of Fear and Silence

UNAMA’s acting head, Georgette Gagnon, called the current situation “an unprecedented spectrum of violence” that goes far beyond traditional definitions. Afghan women, she said, experience violence in multiple dimensions:

• Physical violence, often unreported due to fear of retaliation or social stigma.
• Psychological violence, including intimidation, threats, and coercive control.
• Structural violence, embedded in restrictions on movement, work, and education.
• Economic violence, resulting from loss of livelihoods and exclusion from formal employment.
• Digital harassment, compounded by limited avenues for recourse.

Gagnon noted that “violence is not only what is seen or heard but also the silencing of women’s voices, the closing of opportunities, and the erasure of their public presence.” Because Afghan women face severe limitations on accessing police, courts, schools, and public offices, many forms of abuse remain invisible.

UNAMA stresses that gender-based violence is not merely a private issue – it is a systemic problem worsened by structural limitations imposed on women’s lives. Without comprehensive rights protections, Afghan women face cycles of risk that humanitarian interventions alone cannot break.

Do Not Look Away, UNAMA Urges the World

As the 16 Days campaign unfolds, UN officials warned that global fatigue around Afghanistan must not translate into indifference. The mission argued that the erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan is among the sharpest of any country in the world today, and the international community has a responsibility to ensure that Afghan women are not forgotten.

UNAMA is calling on donors, governments, and international organisations to recommit to protecting women’s rights, investing in long-term violence-prevention strategies, and supporting local actors who continue to work under challenging conditions.

The mission emphasised that “standing with Afghan women” requires more than symbolic gestures: it requires resources, policy pressure, and the international will to ensure that women in Afghanistan can live with dignity and safety.

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