Several foreign aid groups announced Sunday they would suspend operations in Afghanistan after the country’s Taliban rulers ordered all NGOs to prevent their female staff from working there.
His announcement prompted warnings from international officials and NGOs that humanitarian aid would be severely affected.
“Without our female staff we cannot effectively reach the children, women and men who desperately need help in Afghanistan,” Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE said in a joint statement.
“While we gain clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programs and demanding that men and women be able to continue our vital assistance in Afghanistan equally.”
The International Rescue Committee, which provides emergency response in health, education and other areas and employs 3,000 women across Afghanistan, also said it was suspending its services.
“For IRC, our ability to deliver services depends on having female staff at every level of our organization,” the New York-based group said in a statement. “If we are not allowed to employ women, we cannot deliver services to those who need them.”
The ban is the latest blow to women’s rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power last year.
Less than a week ago, hardline Islamists also banned women from attending universities, sparking global outrage and protests in some Afghan cities.
The Economy Ministry, which issued the ban on Saturday, threatened to suspend the operating licenses of aid organizations that did not prevent women from working.
The ministry said it had received “serious complaints” that women working in NGOs did not observe a proper Islamic dress code, an accusation also used by authorities to justify banning university education.
Karen Decker, the US chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan, warned that the Taliban’s decision would lead to famine.
“As a representative of the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, I feel entitled to an explanation as to how the Taliban intend to prevent women and children from starving, when women are no longer allowed to distribute aid to other women and children,” Decker tweeted Sunday in multiple languages.
The UN chief’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, told AFP the ban would prevent aid from reaching millions of people and would also have a devastating impact on the country’s ailing economy.
“It will be very difficult to continue providing humanitarian assistance independently and fairly because women’s participation is very important,” Alakbarov said, adding that the UN would seek to reverse the ban.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called on Sunday for a “clear reaction from the international community.”
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation called the ban “counterproductive and detrimental to the interests of the Afghan people” and called on the Taliban to reverse its decision.
‘Very critical’
At a meeting of humanitarian officials on Sunday, it was not decided whether all NGOs would suspend their operations, according to Alakbarov, who added that further discussions would be held.
He acknowledged that the ban would affect the operations of the UN, which distributes aid through a wide network of NGOs, and would also further affect the country’s economy, which is already in crisis since the withdrawal of foreign forces in August last year.
“All the assistance that is being provided to Afghanistan in this period is very important, both for nutritional security and for the job security of the population,” he said.
Afghanistan’s economic crisis has worsened since the Taliban seized power, prompting Washington to freeze billions of dollars of assets and foreign donors to cut aid.
Dozens of organizations work in remote areas of Afghanistan and many employ women who depend on their income to feed their families, Alakbarov said.
‘Hell for women’
Such is the case of Shabana, 24, who told AFP that she was the only person in her family who earned money.
“If I lose my job, my family of 15 will starve,” said Shabana, who has worked for a foreign NGO for decades and gave only one name.
“As the world celebrates the arrival of the new year, Afghanistan has become a hell for women.”
The government took a defiant stance on Sunday in the face of international criticism.
Responding to the US charge d’affaires’ comment, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted: “We do not allow anyone to talk nonsense or make threats on the decisions of our leaders under the heading of humanitarian aid.”
It was not clear whether the directive affected foreign NGO staff.
The international community has made respect for women’s rights a sticking point in negotiations with the Taliban government for recognition and the restoration of aid.
In addition to the ban on women attending university, there is already a ban on girls attending secondary school.
Women have also been banned from many government jobs, prevented from travelling without a male relative, ordered to cover themselves outside the home, ideally with a burka, and not allowed into parks.
JOBs Apply News
For the Latest JOBs Apply News, Follow ©JOBs Apply News on Twitter and Linkedin Page.
