Several foreign NGOs announced this Sunday that they were suspending their activities in Afghanistan after the Taliban prohibited women from working in this type of organization, a measure that will make it “very difficult” to maintain humanitarian aid in the country, warned a senior official of the UN.
Pending “clarification” on that decision, “we suspend our programs and demand that men and women be able to continue” on equal terms “with our help to save lives in Afghanistan,” Save the Children, the Norwegian Council, said in a statement. for Refugees and CARE International.
Another NGO, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) also announced shortly after that it was suspending its activities in the country. “If we are not authorized to employ women, we are not able to provide services to those who need it,” he said.
In the letter sent to the NGOs on Saturday, the Taliban Economy Ministry ordered them to stop employing women under the threat of losing their authorization to operate in the country.
It justified the decision in which “complaints” had been received that the women who worked in these organizations did not respect the use of the Islamic veil.
In Afghanistan, women are required to cover their faces and entire bodies.
“If (the authorities) are not in a position to revoke this decision (…), it will be very difficult to continue and provide humanitarian aid in an independent and fair manner, because the participation of women is very important,” the coordinator told AFP. UN humanitarian for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov.
“devastating” impact
Dozens of organizations work in remote regions of Afghanistan and many employ women.