Three large non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have ceased operations in Afghanistan because the Taliban prohibited women from working for them.
Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Save the Children stated in a joint statement that they could not continue their work “without our female personnel.”
The assistance organizations “require” that women continue to work for them.
Afghanistan’s ruling The Taliban has consistently repressed the rights of women.
The latest decree on non-governmental organizations was issued just days after the Taliban barred women from attending universities.
Abdel Rahman Habib, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Economy, asserted that foreign assistance workers who did not wear hijabs violated dress standards.
The Taliban threatened to revoke the license of any organization that did not comply with the prohibition immediately.
The presidents of Care, the NRC, and Save the Children stated that their organizations “could not have touched millions of Afghans in need since August 2021 without the contributions of their female employees.”
“While we await clarification on this declaration, we are pausing our programs and insisting that men and women have equal access to our lifesaving assistance in Afghanistan,” the group said in a statement.
The chief UN humanitarian coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, stated that the UN was attempting to rescind the prohibition and that it was a “red line for the whole humanitarian community.”
The diplomat told that the United Nations could cease humanitarian aid distribution in Afghanistan if the Taliban do not overturn their prohibition on female relief workers.
However, Mr. Alakbarov stated that it remained unclear what the Taliban meant by their proclamation.
According to him, the Taliban’s minister of health advised the United Nations that the organization should continue its health-related work and that women could “report to work and perform their duties.
He noted that other ministries have approached the UN directly to request that efforts in the areas of disaster management and crises continue.
Jan Egeland of the NRC stated that almost 500 of the assistance organization’s 1,400 employees were female and that the female staff “operated by all customary standards, dress code, movement, and separation of offices.”
He expressed optimism that the decision will be reversed “in the coming days” and cautioned that millions would be harmed if the work of NGOs was impeded.
NGOs were also concerned about the impact the prohibition would have on employment “amid a massive economic crisis.”
Before the ban, female Afghan NGOs employees who were the primary breadwinners for their families expressed anxiety and powerlessness.
One questioned, “If I am unable to work, who will maintain my family?” Another breadwinner described the news as “shocked” and asserted that she adhered to the Taliban’s rigorous dress rule.
The prohibition sparked international outrage, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing concern that it would “interrupt crucial and life-saving aid to millions.
Since regaining control of the country a year ago, the Taliban have gradually reduced women’s rights, despite having pledged that their rule will be more lenient than that of the 1990s.
In addition to the prohibitions on NGO workers and female university students – which are now enforced by armed guards in the case of students – secondary schools for girls remain closed in the majority of provinces.
Additionally, women have been denied access to parks, gyms, and other public spaces.
