As the situation of women’s rights in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, La Chaîne de l’Espoir remains mobilized. President of our association and the first French doctor to set foot on Afghan soil in 1980, Dr. Éric Cheysson reacted to the recent measures taken by the Taliban authorities:

“In Afghanistan, a new law has just been promulgated that sets in stone the social feminicide to which Afghan women are subjected. From now on, they are forbidden to sing, recite a poem, read aloud in public or even wear perfume. Under the guise of “preventing vice and promoting virtue”, the erasure of Afghan women continues relentlessly. Once made invisible by the burka, she is now denied a voice. Echoing this terrible news, I told franceinfo on Sunday: “It’s the only place in the world where women are treated this way. That’s 20 million women, and on a daily basis at the French hospital…. [de Kaboul] It’s characterized by the sticky fear that’s everywhere, but also by the desperate brain drain of all the people we’ve trained. Just think: out of 960 employees, 160 have already left, including 87 doctors, resuscitators, biologists, surgeons – 2 cardiac surgeons have left for the United States – and this brain drain is a terrible cancer for Afghanistan. I assure you that this feminicide – I insist on this word – must be considered by the international community as a matter of the utmost urgency.”

Active in Afghanistan since 2001, La Chaîne de l’Espoir provides essential care to the most vulnerable through the Institut Médical Français pour la Mère et l’Enfant and the Pavillon des Femmes et des Enfants. Ensuring adequate care for women in a context where their behavior is scrutinized and their rights trampled underfoot, is an absolute priority for our association, which, faced with this alarming situation, is mobilizing on the medical front through its “URGENCE SECOURS FEMMES AFGHANES” program.

The crisis in Afghanistan’s healthcare system, coupled with the cessation of training for female doctors, particularly in the field of gynecology, is having catastrophic consequences for women’s health. The World Health Organization and other health players fear an explosion in maternal mortality in the coming years. Improving access to healthcare for the most vulnerable Afghan women, and reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates, is possible through the creation of an efficient referral system that will facilitate access to healthcare facilities for pregnant and post-partum women. Thanks to this initiative, pregnant women and new mothers will be able to receive specialized care and interventions quickly.