Afghan Women Face Deadly Abuse as Taliban Rule Removes Routes to Protection

Liza Shams sought help before her death

Afghan journalists working under cover have documented 231 killings of women and girls in 10 provinces since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Fifty three of those deaths were officially recorded as suicide, and arrests were documented in only 58 cases. Behind those figures are families trying to secure investigations while facing threats, legal restrictions and the loss of institutions that once helped women escape abuse.

Liza Shams, 33, left a record of the violence she endured. Weeks before her death, she sent voice messages to relatives asking them to pray for her. She described years of abuse by her husband, including a beating while she was pregnant. She said she had been isolated for days and injured so badly that she could barely eat or speak.

On 1 February, neighbours heard screams. During a video call, Liza's father saw that her jaw had been broken. Her sisters took her to a hospital in Kabul, where she died about an hour after arriving. Medical records described multiple fractures to her cheekbones and sinus walls, as well as bruising and swelling across her face and body.

The forensic report nevertheless listed rat poison as the likely cause of death. No autopsy, an examination of the body to help determine how someone died, was carried out. Liza's in laws reportedly argued that she had taken her own life. Her father believes she was murdered.

Families and health workers in Afghanistan say deaths involving violence against women are often classified as suicide. Such a designation can close off further investigation, leaving relatives struggling to have injuries and allegations of abuse examined.

231 deaths, with arrests in about a quarter of cases

The journalists assembled their findings from 174 reports in local media and 57 cases they identified directly. The victims ranged from five to 65 years old. Families or witnesses named husbands, fathers, brothers and other relatives as alleged attackers in many of the cases.

Only 58 of the 231 cases had a documented arrest, equivalent to about 25 percent. Some suspects who were detained were released within days. The 53 deaths officially recorded as suicide made up about 23 percent of the documented cases.

Jawzjan had the highest recorded number of killings, with 36, followed by Herat with 32, Badakhshan with 28 and Ghazni with 26. Together, those four provinces accounted for 122 of the 231 deaths, slightly more than half of the investigation's total.

Most victims were killed at home, where neighbours and other outsiders may have little opportunity to see what is happening. Some 165 victims were housewives without independent income or a formal position from which to pursue a complaint. Financial dependence on male relatives can make leaving an abusive marriage nearly impossible when shelters, courts and police services are unavailable.

A healthcare worker in Jawzjan described women brought to hospitals as suicide victims whose bodies were covered in wounds and bruises. Those observations point to the need for careful medical examination and investigation of each death, especially when the recorded cause sits alongside evidence of physical violence.

Protection was dismantled after August 2021

Domestic violence was widespread in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover. The UN Women Afghanistan Gender Index reported that nearly 35 percent of women surveyed in 2018 had experienced violence from a partner during the previous year. The global figure was 13 percent, meaning the Afghan figure was more than two and a half times as high.

After August 2021, the Taliban dissolved the Ministry of Women's Affairs, the special prosecutor's office for violence against women and the country's shelter network. About 250 female judges were removed from their positions, and female prosecutors were sent home.

Those changes stripped away several routes through which a woman might seek safety or justice. A shelter could provide somewhere to stay outside an abusive household. A specialist prosecutor could investigate violence, while a judge could hear the case. Removing these institutions left women with fewer places to turn.

Women also lost the ability to act directly as parties in their own legal cases. In practical terms, they could no longer pursue a case in their own names, and mothers were left unable to bring cases on behalf of their daughters.

In Takhar province, the mother of a woman aged 23 who was allegedly stabbed and set on fire by her husband said a local court ordered her to transfer legal authority to that husband. The case has made little progress. Her account shows how the rules governing who may pursue a case can place control in the hands of the person accused of the violence.

Seeking safety can bring a longer prison term

The Taliban's criminal code sets sharply different penalties for a husband's violence and a wife's attempt to leave. A husband who beats his wife and causes visible injuries, such as fractures or wounds, may receive a maximum of 15 days in prison.

A wife who goes to her family's home without permission may face three months in prison. Relatives who refuse to return her may face the same punishment. The prescribed prison term for seeking refuge is therefore longer than the maximum described for a beating that causes visible injury.

For a family deciding whether to shelter a daughter or sister, these provisions create an immediate risk. Offering a place to stay can expose both the woman and her relatives to punishment. An abusive husband can use that threat to press for her return.

Relatives who intervene also face violence

In Kandahar, a girl aged 14 was reportedly killed after being married to a much older man. She had fled to her father's home after suffering violence. When her husband came to take her back in October 2024, she refused to go.

The husband allegedly shot and killed her. Her younger brother ran to help and was also shot. He died a week later. The Taliban opened a case, but the husband, who was serving with the group, was never arrested.

In Sar e Pol province, Sara, 16, and her mother, Chaman, were shot dead by a local Taliban official who had forced an engagement on Sara. Chaman was a doctor trained in Iran. She refused to hand over her daughter without the agreed dowry, a payment associated with the marriage arrangement.

The official allegedly beat Chaman with a rifle before shooting both mother and daughter. He was later captured and remains in detention.

The two cases had different outcomes for the alleged attackers: detention in Sar e Pol and no arrest in Kandahar. A suspect's position, local influence or connection to a commander may affect whether a case reaches court. Families challenging an official or publicizing an alleged crime often have little protection from retaliation.

Restrictions leave fewer ways to escape abuse

Girls remain barred from secondary school and university, while women face restrictions on employment, including work with aid organizations. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice enforces rules governing clothing and access to public spaces.

These limits on education, work, movement and public life shape what happens inside households. A woman who cannot earn an income has fewer resources to leave. Restrictions on travel and speaking publicly can make reaching assistance or reporting abuse more difficult.

The United Nations has also reported direct death threats against Afghan women working for UN agencies. Taliban officials said their personnel were not responsible and said an investigation was under way. An Interior Ministry spokesman denied that the threats had been made.

Authorities control security institutions and access to information, making accountability difficult when allegations involve their own personnel. Fear can also keep neighbours, doctors and relatives from reporting what they know about violence.

The journalists documenting the 231 cases faced threats when they tried to contact families. Many relatives refused interviews. According to Liza's father, her sisters were summoned by the Taliban after taking her to hospital and subsequently went into hiding.

International prosecutors seek accountability for persecution

In January 2025, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The requested charges concern the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.

Gender persecution means severely depriving people of rights because of their gender. The prosecutor said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Taliban policies had deprived women and girls of rights including education, movement, expression, family life and personal autonomy, meaning the ability to make decisions about their own lives.

Human Rights Watch said the case could provide a route to accountability when Afghan courts fail to act. The ICC investigation covers alleged crimes committed in Afghanistan since 1 May 2003. Its work may also examine crimes by other parties to the conflict, although victims and rights groups have criticized how the court sets its priorities.

The international proceedings concern the responsibility of senior leaders for policies that amount to widespread persecution. Investigating who killed a particular woman remains a separate task requiring evidence about that individual death.

Local protection is still essential. Women need safe shelters, independent investigators, access to courts and the ability to bring cases in their own names. Relatives need protection from retaliation when they report abuse or help someone leave a violent household.

The dates behind the cases

The documented events stretch from violence recorded before the Taliban takeover to later killings and international legal action. The central dates show how the loss of protection and the search for accountability unfolded.

• 2018: Nearly 35 percent of Afghan women surveyed had experienced partner violence during the previous year, according to the UN Women Afghanistan Gender Index.
• August 2021: The Taliban returned to power. The journalists' investigation covers killings since that takeover.
• October 2024: A husband allegedly killed a girl aged 14 in Kandahar after she refused to return with him. Her younger brother was also shot and died a week later.
• January 2025: The ICC prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani over alleged gender persecution.
• 1 February: Liza Shams was taken to a Kabul hospital and died about an hour after arriving.

Liza's death is dated to 1 February without a year being specified. No date was given for the killings of Sara and Chaman or for a next hearing in the international proceedings.

Many deaths remain outside the count

The journalists' investigation covers 10 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, fewer than a third of the country's provinces. Many deaths are never reported to police, never reach a hospital and never appear in a public record.

Afghanistan lacks official national data sufficient to calculate a dependable annual rate or measure a nationwide increase. The documented cases provide a partial picture of repeated killings in private homes, disputed or reclassified injuries, few arrests and limited protection for relatives seeking help.

Some families may accept a suicide designation because challenging it could bring threats, social pressure or retaliation. That fear affects both the recording of deaths and the willingness of witnesses to speak.

Liza's father has released her recordings, hospital footage and medical documents on social media in an attempt to force an investigation. In one message, Liza said she felt suffocated and feared that her children would grow up watching their parents fight. Her messages describe repeated abuse that had become part of daily household life.

Her father says speaking publicly has put his family in danger. He believes the Taliban do not want such cases discussed in public. For families seeking justice, the choice can be between silence that offers temporary safety and speaking out at the risk of summonses, threats or further violence.

The Bottom Line

• Journalists documented 231 killings of women and girls in 10 Afghan provinces since August 2021, involving victims aged five to 65.
• Fifty three deaths were officially recorded as suicide, while arrests were documented in only 58 cases.
• Liza Shams died after suffering severe injuries. Her forensic report listed rat poison as the likely cause, and no autopsy was conducted.
• The Taliban dismantled institutions that handled violence against women and removed female judges and prosecutors.
• Women leaving home without permission, and relatives sheltering them, may face three months in prison under the Taliban's criminal code.
• The ICC prosecutor sought warrants for two senior Taliban leaders in January 2025 over alleged gender persecution.
• The documented killings form a partial count. Many deaths remain outside police, hospital and public records.