Various foreign aid groups announced that they would be halting operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban terrorist group, which currently has control of the country's government, banned female employees from working.
The decision was made on Saturday and ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop all female staff from working. It was a move that the United Nations said would hit humanitarian operations just as winter grips a nation that is already in an economic crisis.
Taliban Ban on Female NGO Employees
The economy ministry sent a letter, which was confirmed by spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib, saying that female employees of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were not allowed to work in the country until further notice. The decision was made because they argued that some had not followed the administration's interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women.
The announcement came only a few days after the Taliban group ordered universities to be closed for women, a decision that prompted widespread, global condemnation and sparked protests and heavy criticism of the current governing body of Afghanistan, as per Reuters.
The two decisions are the latest restrictions that the terrorist group has implemented on women that are likely to undermine the administration's efforts to gain international recognition and clear sanctions that are severely hampering Afghanistan's economy.
In a post on Twitter, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he was "deeply concerned" that the Taliban's move "will disrupt vital and life-saving assistance to millions." The American official added that women are central to humanitarian operations worldwide.
According to BBC, the Taliban's ban has already prompted five top NGOs to halt operations in Afghanistan. This includes Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Save the Children, who said that they could not continue to work "without our female staff."
Temporary Suspension of Operations
The International Rescue Committee and the Islamic Relief were also among those groups that have stopped operating in the nation. The terrorist group threatened to cancel the license of any NGO that did not quickly comply with the recently announced ban.
Since the announcement, a number of aid groups have spoken out about the situation, expressing demands that women should be allowed to work for them. The leaders of Care, the NRC, and Save the Children released a joint statement saying that they would not have jointly reached millions of Afghans who have been in dire need since August 2021 if not for the help of their female employees.
The groups added, "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."
Furthermore, the Islamic Relief said that it had taken the difficult decision to suspend non-life-saving activities temporarily in the nation following the announcement. This includes projects that support impoverished families to earn a living as well as education and some healthcare projects.
The statement from the three NGOs added that the decision would impact not just the delivery of lifesaving assistance but also thousands of jobs in the midst of an enormous economic crisis, CNN reported.
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