US aid cuts worsen humanitarian crisis for Afghan women and girls: report

Sweeping U.S. foreign aid cuts have sharply worsened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, with women and girls suffering the most severe consequences, according to a new report by Refugees International.

The organization says the 2025 decision to shut down USAID operations and halt most U.S. foreign assistance has dismantled critical services in Afghanistan, deepening what it describes as the Islamic Emirate’s system of “gender apartheid.”

Refugees International reports that the cuts eliminated 88 percent of maternal and child health funding, 94 percent of sexual and reproductive health programs, and nearly 80 percent of gender-based violence services.

As a result, more than 420 health facilities have closed or suspended operations since early 2025, leaving around three million people without access to basic healthcare.

The shutdown of clinics and protection services has increased maternal and infant health risks and left survivors of violence without safe spaces or support. The report says families are increasingly resorting to harmful coping strategies, including early and forced marriage and reduced food consumption for women and girls.

Food insecurity has also worsened following the halt of U.S. funding to the World Food Programme. Monthly food assistance has dropped from 5.6 million people in late 2024 to about one million, while an estimated 17 million Afghans now face hunger.

Education opportunities for girls have narrowed further after USAID-supported informal education programs were suspended, cutting off one of the last learning options for girls barred from formal schooling.

Refugees International warns that 21.9 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, more than half of them women and girls, yet the U.S. has so far committed no funding this year.

The organization is urging Washington to restore life-saving, gender-responsive aid before the crisis deepens further.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has not yet commented on this report.