Due to restrictive measures or bans imposed by authorities, girls and women face significant challenges in terms of access to basic services, education, participation in communities, freedom of movement, and personal safety concerns, making them more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and violence. A continuing ban on post-secondary education for girls and women, mahram requirements, and prohibitions on women working in specific businesses, organisations, and sectors limits their participation in their communities, access to services, and undermines their fundamental human rights.

Persistent economic insecurity has forced families to adopt harmful coping mechanisms including taking on debt and has prompted both internal and cross-border movement, sending many children away from home in search of employment, and exposing them to risks. Restrictions on Afghan female aid workers has threatened and reduced access to essential health, and child protection services, while the ban on post primary education for girls – which has affected 1.4 million girls to date – has exacerbated protection risks including child marriage, child labour, and psychological distress among children and their families.

The growing threat of forced evictions from informal settlements and the influx of returnees from Pakistan continues to drive housing, land, and property (HLP) needs. The lack of a legal framework for HLP administration and ambiguity regarding the enforcement of property law since 2021 raises further risks for these vulnerable groups. Women continue to be vulnerable to evictions, with bans on female partners from representing women beneficiaries in court and the refusal of women advocacy licenses impeding progress on women’s HLP rights.