Some Afghan women were reportedly left buried in rubble as male rescuers feared violating strict gender rules imposed by the Taliban. The country was hit by a massive 6-magnitude earthquake on August 31.
The quake left a trail of destruction and death, killing over 2,000 Afghans and razing entire villages to the ground. Now, reports have emerged that during the crucial first 36 hours following the disaster, many women were left buried in the rubble by male rescuers. It is claimed the men were too afraid to break a strict Taliban rule forbidding unrelated males from having any skin contact with women not part of their family.
Hamid Badshah, a resident of Kunar Province, claimed an all-male medical team were hesitant to assist injured women trapped under the collapsed houses.
Speaking about the draconian Taliban rule, Mr Badshah described women returning into their homes for headscarves despite the tremor. He told the Telegraph: “I heard women turning back midway looking for hijab after fleeing from tremors and then came under the collapsed houses”.
The rules in effect seemingly stopped rescuers not only from pulling women out of the ruins of their homes but also from administering medical aid to them.
In another media report, a 19-year-old survivor named Aysha, explained how little rescuers did to help women. “They gathered us in one corner and forgot about us; some of them, bleeding, were pushed aside,” she said.
A man who helped to search for victims admitted that women were more or less ignored by rescuers. Tahzeebullah Muhazeb, 33, joined rescue efforts in Mazar Dara and told reporters: “It felt like women were invisible.”
He added that men and children were treated first, while women sat apart, “waiting for care”.
Humanitarian agencies are rushing to help victims of the earthquake, particularly those in remote villages.
Shannon O’Hara – a UN official in Afghanistan – said around 40,000 people had been impacted by the disaster and that over 5,000 homes had been destroyed.
She said emergency responders were prioritising aid to women, children, and locals with disabilities.
“In Afghanistan, in recent years, women and girls have been pushed to the very margins of society and survival,” she said. “We know from previous earthquakes and other crises that women and girls always bear the heaviest burden.”
