Dead bodies dragged out by clothes? Taliban let Afghan women die under rubble after deadly quake... all to obey ‘no touch’ rule

Afghanistan rulers Taliban's strict gender restrictions have left Afghan women bleeding and buried under the rubble after the recent disastrous earthquake that struck the nation. According to reports, during the crucial first 36 hours of the earthquake, the men engaged in relief efforts did not touch even a single woman, all thanks to the Taliban's "no skin contact with unrelated males" rule. This rule prohibits male rescuers from physically assisting women – even in life-threatening situations like the one Afghanistan recently suffered.

"No skin contact with unrelated males"

The New York Times reported that Taliban rules forbidding any physical contact between unrelated men and women prevented male rescuers from pulling women from rubble or providing medical help. Moreover, with women banned from studying medicine or working in public roles, the shortage of female doctors and rescue workers left many Afghan women trapped or unattended.

Aysha, a 19-year-old survivor from Kunar Province, described the ordeal: "They gathered us in one corner and forgot about us." She said that women, "some of them bleeding, were pushed aside."

Dead women pulled out by clothes

Male volunteers also admitted they hesitated to assist women, waiting for other women from nearby villages to arrive. "It felt like women were invisible," said Tahzeebullah Muhazeb, 33, who joined rescue efforts in Mazar Dara. He added that men and children were treated first, while women sat apart, "waiting for care".

Shockingly, as per the report, in some cases, dead women were dragged out by their clothes to avoid direct skin contact.

Women bearing the brunt of catastrophes

The magnitude 6.0 quake, which struck on August 31, killed more than 2,200 people and injured 3,600, flattening villages across eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban is yet to release gender-specific numbers, but aid agencies have warned that the Taliban's policies have left women and girls bearing the brunt of the catastrophe.

"Women and girls will again bear the brunt of this disaster, so we must ensure their needs are at the heart of the response and recovery," Susan Ferguson, UN Women's special representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement earlier this week. Rights groups have urged the Taliban to allow gender-sensitive disaster response, warning that restrictions on women in healthcare and rescue work are deepening the humanitarian crisis.