Security Council Briefing Notes on Gender Issues: Afghanistan

Afghans have suffered twenty-three years of war that has seriously compromised the cultural, economic, social and political heritage of the country and caused the death and displacement of millions of people. Women were the first victims of war-related violence. More than two million women are war widows and still face intensified prejudice, social and economic exclusion of which 400,000 are live in Kabul. The Afghan women who were left to deal with physical and psychological hardship as sole heads of households constitute one of the most vulnerable social groups in the country.
While the fall of the Taliban led to great optimism, women's participation in the reconstruction of Afghanistan continues to be jeopardized by the lack of security across the country. Women still face intimidation, violence, and restrictions ontheir movements.