A BBC investigation reveals that Afghan women with mental health conditions are becoming permanently trapped in Kabul’s largest psychiatric facility due to societal stigma and Taliban restrictions. The Qala center, run by the Afghan Red Crescent Society, houses 104 women—some for decades—with no discharge options despite recovery, as patriarchal norms and laws prevent independent living.
**Who**
The story centers on female patients like Mariam (mid-20s, 9 years at facility after family abuse) and Habiba (28, abandoned by husband). Both are clinically ready for release but have no safe exit. Psychotherapist Saleema Halib and ARCS psychiatrist Dr. Abdul Wali Utmanzai describe systemic failures.
**What/Where**
Qala—a barbed-wire-secured facility in west Kabul—is Afghanistan’s primary mental health center for women. It faces severe overcrowding, with patients occupying beds indefinitely due to impossible reintegration into society. New cases like 16-year-old Zainab (admitted after being shackled at home) wait months for space.
**When**
The crisis has intensified since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, though some patients have been institutionalized for 35-40 years. The BBC’s visit occurred in August 2025 amid worsening conditions.
**Why**
Three factors drive entrapment: 1) Taliban laws requiring male guardians for women’s movement/work, 2) cultural stigma around mental illness, and 3) families abandoning patients. A 2024 UN survey found 68% of Afghan women report poor mental health linked to rights restrictions.
**How**
Women enter via homelessness (Mariam), family abandonment (Habiba), or extreme containment (Zainab). Discharge requires male guardianship—unavailable to most. The center’s capacity crisis leaves Dr. Utmanzai’s outpatient clinic (50 daily cases, 80% women) unable to refer critical cases.
**Impact**
Long-term patients occupy beds needed for new arrivals, creating a vicious cycle. Psychosocial deterioration occurs despite treatment, with Halib noting patients “live and die here.” Families face impossible choices: one father admitted Zainab only after she repeatedly fled home, risking Taliban punishment.
**What’s Next**
The Taliban denies systemic issues, claiming it has “ensured women’s rights,” but offers no solutions. Without legal/policy changes, facilities will remain overcrowded prisons. International health groups warn of cascading mental health crises as economic collapse and gender apartheid continue.