Childbirth in the Context of Conflict in Afghanistan

Abstract

The livelihoods of Afghan women have been transformed by decades of war, violence, and political upheaval. Chronic fear of violence and instability shape the daily practices, perceptions, and behaviors of Afghan families in ways that directly affect maternal health outcomes. This chapter examines the multiple pathways to maternal risk as they intersect through historically rooted structural inequalities, such as lack of roads, lack of education, and poverty. Ethnographic data from 2005 to 2008 focus on the northern province of Badakshahn, which suffered the highest known maternal mortality ratio in the world. Long after the Taliban left Kabul, the draconian edicts on female education, marriage, and seclusion continue to impact how isolated Badakhshani villages police women and their bodies.