NGOs stop operations in Afghanistan due to ban on women
Three NGOs named Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE International have stated in a joint statement that they are postponing their programme until the directive is made clear.
In response to the interim government’s restriction on female employees working, four international relief organisations, including Save the Children, have ceased humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan.
Separately, the International Rescue Committee announced in a statement that it is ceasing operations in the nation for the same causes.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the ban imposed by Taliban government on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan.
US, Norway, Germany, Australia, Canada, and Amnesty International have also condemned the ban on Afghan women employees in None-Governmental Organizations.
The ministry said women working in NGOs were not observing “the hijab and other rules and regulations pertaining to the work of females in national and international organizations”.
It remained unclear whether the directive impacted foreign women staff at NGOs.
Dozens of organizations work across remote areas of Afghanistan and many of their employees are women, with several warning a ban on women staff would stymie their work.
NGOs stop operations in Afghanistan due to ban on women
The latest restriction comes less than a week after the Taliban authorities banned women from attending universities, prompting global outrage and protests in some Afghan cities.
Since returning to power in August last year, the Taliban have already barred teenage girls from secondary school.
Women have also been pushed out of many government jobs, prevented from travelling without a male relative, and ordered to cover up outside of the home, ideally with a burqa. They are also not allowed to enter parks or gardens.
