Since 1994, the Taliban has officially restricted women's human rights such as freedom of expression, association, movement and equal opportunities for work, education and access to health services, and thus compounded years of suffering related to extreme deprivations and the effects of war and a recent drought. Taliban restrictions on Afghan women's freedom of expression, association, and movement deny women full participation in society, and consequently, from effectively securing equal opportunities for work, education, access to health services. Such violations of human rights which exclude women from employment and education jeopardises their capacity to survive, live a healthy and productive life, and participate in society. Under such circumstances, depression rates are alarmingly high.

Presently, seventy percent of the health care system in Afghanistan is dependent on external assistance. Humanitarian assistance providers have worked under extremely difficult circumstances for many years to deliver health services to Afghan women and men. There has been some relaxation of restrictions for women obtaining health care. However, the life expectancy of women in Afghanistan is 44 years. There are 16,000 maternal deaths annually making maternal mortality the second highest in the world. Women in Afghanistan have the highest cases of tuberculosis in the world, 70% of which are in reproductive age women. Tetanus and typhoid immunization coverage dropped from 37% to 17% in 1999 due to various restrictions placed on women by Taliban official policy. Taliban restrictions on women's freedoms continue to interfere with the delivery health services.

Ironically, women are allowed to work in the health care sector, but are not officially permitted the opportunity of higher education. Therefore, if women cannot be educated as health practitioners and only female physicians can treat women, how can the future health needs of Afghan women be met in years to come? While it appears Taliban authorities recently have eased up somewhat in their enforcement of edicts that restrict women's access to health services, such restrictions remain official policy and are not consistent with opinions, attitudes, and needs of Afghan people. In Afghanistan, it is clear that effective health promotion requires the protection and promotion of human rights.

For more information, please contact Physicians for Human Rights (attn: Nathaniel Raymond or Barbara Ayotte at (617) 695-0041 ext 220, 210 (respectively) or nraymond@phrusa.org and bayotte@phrusa.org