Additional Context: This information was included in Refugee International's report, “‘No One Cares About Us Any More’: How U.S. Aid Cuts Have Intensified the Crisis for Women and Girls in Afghanistan.” The report draws on a combination of interviews with Afghan women, aid workers, and representatives of humanitarian organizations, alongside secondary data from U.N. agencies and the World Bank.

The U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, provided services to over 45,000 Afghan women in September 2024, but only 24,000 women in May 2025. According to Refugees International, reduced programming poses a “compounded protection risk” for many women, whose access to “the few remaining services now requires traveling long distances with strict limitations on their movement including the requirement of a male chaperone (mahram), placing assistance effectively out of reach”.

Devex Researcher Note: The most recent comparable UNHCR figure, from September 2025, places the number of women and girls reaching protection services at 63,551, indicating some recovery in services. However, the situation continues to evolve as the U.S., a key financial contributor to the Afghanistan response, made no pledge toward the country in 2026.

Source: Refugees International