After the Taliban mandated that female employees be barred from employment, several foreign aid groups have ceased operations in Afghanistan.
The Taliban issued an order stating that this is an outcome of "serious complaints" being received that women working in NGOs were not adhering to an appropriate Islamic dress code.
Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have said they will wind up operations in Afghanistan.
“We cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without our female staff,” the first three NGOs said in a joint statement. "Whilst we gain clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programmes, demanding that men and women can equally continue our lifesaving assistance in Afghanistan," read the statement.
“With Afghanistan in the midst of a worsening humanitarian crisis and economic collapse, humanitarian actors have been essential in saving lives in the country over the course of the past year,” the IRC said in a separate statement.
The Taliban has imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law and have sought to enforce their views on the population through a campaign of violence and intimidation. They are known for their oppressive treatment of women, including the prohibition of education and employment for women, and the destruction of cultural artefacts and religious sites that they deemed unIslamic.
The UN has said that even though they are against this decision of the Taliban, and feel that it will be impossible to “provide comprehensive humanitarian action without the participation of women,” they will stay and try their best for the people. As that is their main goal.
The United Nations pointed out the importance of women in the humanitarian cause, they even stated that banning women from participating in the humanitarian cause will have life-threatening effects on all of Afghanistan.
© Vygr Media Private Limited 2022. All Rights Reserved.
