Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women and Girls Amid Worsening Taliban Restrictions

On 28 May 2026 Dutch Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink announced that Afghan women and girls will, “in most cases,” qualify for refugee residence permits. The accompanying Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessment adds that permits will be granted “in the vast majority of cases.” The reform replaces the earlier requirement that applicants demonstrate an inability to comply with Taliban rules, broadening protection to reflect the overall deterioration of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Netherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girlsNetherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNowNetherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News Agency

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghan women have been barred from secondary and higher education, restricted from most employment, and excluded from public life. In August 2024 the regime enforced the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law, further curbing freedom of movement, education, and social participation. United Nations observers have described these policies as among the world’s most restrictive toward women.

Netherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News Agency

• Bart van den Brink – Dutch Asylum Minister, author of the policy change.

Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNow

• David van Weel – Former Asylum Minister, whose 2025 comments sparked criticism.

Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNow

• Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Produced the June 2023-October 2025 report underpinning the reform.

Netherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News Agency

• Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) – Implements the new eligibility framework, stating that any Afghan woman referencing the current conditions will be granted temporary refugee residency.

Netherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News Agency

Government data show 760 Afghan asylum applications in 2025, up from 670 in 2023 and 490 in 2024. After public backlash, the IND granted residence permits to four Afghan women in early 2026, marking the first concrete applications of the revised policy.

Netherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girls

The Dutch government declared that previous immigration regulations “no longer adequately address the current situation in Afghanistan,” prompting formal recognition of the “special circumstances of Afghan women” during asylum reviews. The IND emphasized that the new rule applies “in principle” to any Afghan woman who cites ongoing restrictions, ensuring temporary refugee status pending further assessment.

Netherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News AgencyNetherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girlsNetherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNow

Former Minister David van Weel argued that women could, in theory, “adapt” to life under Taliban rule, a stance that provoked widespread public criticism and legal challenges. Activists and legal experts contended that the earlier policy underestimated the systemic nature of gender-based persecution, leading to the 2026 reform.

Netherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girls

A UN-backed 2025 gender analysis reported that “restrictions on women’s movement, education, employment, and participation in humanitarian work have become a major factor driving Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis for women and girls.” The ban on female aid workers has weakened service delivery, limiting access to healthcare and protection assistance.

Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNowNetherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News AgencyNetherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girls

• “in the vast majority of cases,” — Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Netherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girls

• “in most cases,” — Bart van den Brink, Dutch Asylum Minister

Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNow

• “adapt” — David van Weel, former Asylum Minister

Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNow

• “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” — Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Netherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News Agency

• “Moreover, a recent UN-backed report, 2025 Gender Analysis of Humanitarian Sectors in Afghanistan, found that Taliban restrictions on women’s movement, education, employment, and participation in humanitarian work have become a major factor driving Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis for women and girls.” — UN-backed 2025 Gender Analysis Report

Netherlands Expands Asylum Eligibility for Afghan Women – KabulNow

• “The UN has described Taliban policies toward women as among the most restrictive in the world and has repeatedly called for the reversal of measures limiting education, employment and freedom of movement.” — United Nations

Netherlands to grant asylum to most Afghan women, girls

The Dutch government has pledged ongoing monitoring of the policy’s implementation and indicated readiness to adjust criteria should conditions in Afghanistan evolve. International human-rights bodies continue to call for broader protective measures, suggesting that additional European states may consider similar reforms in response to the sustained gender-based oppression under Taliban rule.

Netherlands Overhauls Asylum Policy to Protect Afghan Women Amid Deteriorating Rights – AtlasPress News Agency