KABUL: Three foreign aid groups, including Save the Children, announced on Sunday that they were suspending their operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered all NGOs to stop their female staff from working. .
The announcement came as top UN officials and dozens of NGOs working in Afghanistan met in Kabul to discuss the way forward after the Taliban’s latest sanctions hit humanitarian work across the country. The method can be discussed.
“We could not effectively reach children, women and men in Afghanistan without our female staff,” Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE said in a joint statement.
“While we seek clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programs, demanding that men and women alike can continue our life-saving assistance in Afghanistan.”
The order, issued by Taliban officials on Saturday, drew international condemnation, with governments and organizations warning of the impact on humanitarian services in a country where millions depend on aid. What did
The latest ban comes less than a week after the Taliban banned women from entering universities, sparking global outrage and protests in some Afghan cities.
The Ministry of Economy on Saturday threatened to suspend the NGOs’ operating licenses if they failed to implement the order.
The ministry, which issues the licence, said it had received “serious complaints” that women working in NGOs were not adhering to the proper Islamic dress code.
Aid officials told JEE News that a meeting of the humanitarian country team, which includes senior UN officials and representatives of dozens of Afghan and foreign NGOs, was being held in Kabul to discuss whether Following the latest directive from the Taliban, all relief operations should be suspended.
The United Nations condemned the ministry’s directive and said it would seek an explanation from the Taliban for the order, which “systematically excludes women from all aspects of public and political life, leading the country to marginalization.” , which threatens any meaningful peace or stability efforts in the country”.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken said the ban would be “devastating” for Afghans because it would “disrupt critical and life-saving aid to millions of people.”
‘Hell for women’
“I am the sole breadwinner of my family. If I lose my job, my family of 15 will suffer. will die of hunger.”
“As the world celebrates the arrival of the New Year, Afghanistan has become a living hell for women.”
The ministry said women working in non-governmental organizations were not adhering to “Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations related to women’s work in national and international organizations”.
But female employees spoke to JEE News denying the allegation.
“Our offices are gender-segregated, and every woman is dressed appropriately,” said Arzu, who works for another foreign NGO.
It is not clear whether this directive has affected foreign women staff in non-governmental organizations.
The international community has made respect for women’s rights a key point in its dialogue with the Taliban government to restore its recognition and support.
The ban comes at a time when millions of people across the country rely on humanitarian aid provided by international donors through a vast network of non-governmental organizations.
Afghanistan’s economic crisis has worsened since the Taliban seized power in August last year, prompting Washington to freeze billions of dollars in assets and cut aid from foreign donors.
Dozens of organizations operate in remote areas of Afghanistan and most of their employees are women, with many warning that the ban would halt their work.
Another senior official of a foreign NGO in Kabul said, “The ban will affect all aspects of humanitarian work as women workers have been key implementers of various projects focusing on the country’s vulnerable female population. are.”
On Tuesday, the higher education minister banned women from universities, alleging that they too did not dress appropriately.
The ban sparked widespread international outrage and some protests, which were forcibly dispersed by the authorities.
The Taliban have already barred teenage girls from attending secondary school since returning to power in August last year.
Women have also been pushed out of many government jobs, barred from traveling without a male relative and ordered to veil outside the home, ideally wearing a burqa.
