JEDDAH: International humanitarian organizations ceased operations in Afghanistan on Monday after the Taliban rule prohibited them from hiring female workers.
All operations have been halted by ActionAid, Christian Aid, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE, and the International Rescue Committee, which employs 3,000 women in Afghanistan.
Christian Aid was “rapidly seeking clarity… and pressing the authorities to remove the restriction,” said Ray Hasan, head of global programs.
“Unfortunately, we are putting our programs on hold while we do this.
“In Afghanistan, millions of people are on the verge of hunger. Reports that families are so desperate for food that they have been forced to sell their children are terrible.”
A prohibition on female relief workers, according to Hasan, would “only limit our ability to support the expanding number of people in need.”
According to ActionAid, prohibiting women from working with them would “prevent us from reaching out to half of the population that is already reeling from hunger.”
“ActionAid has made the painful choice to temporarily cease most of its initiatives in Afghanistan until a clearer picture emerges,” the organization said.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan requested the Taliban government to lift the prohibition.
“Millions of Afghans require humanitarian help, and reducing barriers is critical,” the statement stated.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation expressed its dissatisfaction with the restriction and encouraged the Taliban to rethink. According to Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, it represented a deliberate policy to further curtail Afghan women’s rights.
This “perplexing move,” he said, would not only deprive Afghan women of a source of income for themselves and their families, but would also have a significant impact on humanitarian and relief activities in Afghanistan.
The prohibition, according to the OIC chief, is self-defeating and should be reconsidered “for the sake of social inclusion of women and the continuation of a much-needed international humanitarian safety net in Afghanistan.”
The Taliban also prohibited women from attending university last week, sparking global criticism and riots in certain Afghan cities.
Source: Arab News
