The Taliban’s decision to ban women from working in NGOs has prompted many organizations to suspend aid work in Afghanistan.
The UN mission in Afghanistan has asked the Taliban government of the country reverse its ban women work in nonprofit organizations, with major global non-governmental organizations (NGOs) withdrawing from the country to meet restrictions.
“Millions of Afghans need humanitarian assistance and the removal of barriers is critical,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement Monday. The statement added that UNAMA acting director and humanitarian coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov met with Economy Minister Mohammad Hanif.
Hanif’s ministry on Saturday ordered all domestic and foreign NGOs not to let female employees work until further notice. The orders do not apply directly to the UN, but many of its programs are carried out by NGOs that obey the orders.
On Sunday, three global NGOs – Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International – said in a joint statement that they were suspending their programs pending orders from government clarified.
“We would not be able to effectively reach the children, women and men in need in Afghanistan effectively without our female staff,” the statement said, adding that without the women, women drive the effort, they will not be able to reach the millions of Afghans in need since last August.
Separately, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a statement that it is suspending its services in the country, for the same reason. The IRC says it employs more than 8,000 people in Afghanistan, nearly 3,000 of whom are women.
The suspension of some aid programs accessed by millions of Afghans comes at a time when more than half of the population depends on humanitarian aid and during the mountainous nation’s coldest season, according to aid agencies. this.
Earlier, international aid agency AfghanistanAid said it had immediately suspended operations while consulting other organizations and other NGOs taking similar action.
The International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan also on Sunday expressed concern about the move and the previous ban on women attending university, warning of “catastrophic humanitarian consequences in the short and long term”. .
But the Taliban government has so far shown no sign of reconsidering its bans on women working at NGOs or studying at universities.
On Saturday, the Economy Ministry, which grants licenses to nonprofits, said it had received “serious complaints” that women working in NGOs were not complying. “Islamic headscarves as well as other rules and regulations related to women’s work in countries and countries. International organizations”.
Dozens of organizations operate across remote areas of Afghanistan and many of their employees are women, with some warning that a ban on female employees would hinder their work.
The latest restriction comes less than a week after the Taliban government ban women from going to collegecaused global outrage and protests in several Afghan cities.
Since returning to power last August, the Taliban have also banned high school girls.
Women are also excluded from many government jobs, cannot travel without a male relative, and are required to cover up outside the home, ideally wearing a headscarf.
They are also not allowed into the park or the garden.
