This step must have been very difficult for the international aid workers: Because of the work ban for women imposed by the radical Islamic Taliban, several foreign organizations are stopping their support for the time being.
“Until we have clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programs,” it said a joint communication from Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Care. They demand that men and women alike can continue to provide life-saving assistance in Afghanistan. “We cannot reach children, women and men in dire need without our female staff.”
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which provides health and education assistance and employs 3,000 women across Afghanistan, says it is also suspending operations.
We will not accept that the Taliban make humanitarian aid a pawn in their misogyny.
Annalena Bärbock (Greens), Germany’s Foreign Minister
This step also closes the Action Against Hunger on. The only exceptions are vital medical measures for children suffering from acute malnutrition.
The Taliban, who have been in power again since August 2021, announced the ban on employment at the weekend, citing “serious complaints” about women working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) not wearing the hijab. If an organization does not comply with this order, its license will be revoked, it said.
The announcement by those in power met with fierce criticism. “We will not accept that the Taliban are making humanitarian aid a pawn in their misogyny,” wrote Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) on Twitter. The Taliban “robbed another basic right from half the population, violated humanitarian principles and endangered the vital needs of the people”.
Germany could also suspend the aid
Development Aid Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) sees it similarly. She is in favor of suspending support from Germany. With the employment ban for women, the rulers had “delivered an irresponsible blow to the aid for the Afghan people”. Without women workers, organizations would not be able to continue their work in many areas for half of the population.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply concerned,” his spokesman said in New York. “This decision will undermine the work of numerous organizations across the country serving the most vulnerable, especially women and girls.”
Since taking power again, the Taliban have massively pushed women out of public life – although they initially promised to take a more moderate course. But apparently fundamentalist forces are gaining more and more influence within the militia.
For example, girls are now only allowed to go to school up to the seventh grade. Just a few days ago, female students were banned from attending a university. Women across the country are protesting against the ban.
In addition, veiling is compulsory for all women and even for young girls. This means the burqa or the black Arabic chador with a face veil.
Afghanistan is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, and more and more families are impoverished. A good half of the 40 million people are dependent on help and have to make do with one meal a day.
Droughts and floods decimate crops and livestock. Many children are malnourished. You are at risk of long-term health problems. If foreign aid organizations don’t just suspend their work, but shut it down entirely, the plight of Afghans is likely to worsen drastically.
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