Afghanistan: banned from working with women, NGOs suspend their activities

Three foreign NGOs announced on Sunday that they were suspending their activities in Afghanistan the day after the Taliban's decision to ban women from working for local and international NGOs that are essential in the country.

In a joint statement, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International announced this Sunday afternoon to suspend their activities, pending the announcement made on Saturday evening by the Taliban to be “clarified”.

“We are suspending our programs, demanding that men and women can continue our aid to save lives in Afghanistan in the same way,” explain the three associations.

A brutal ministerial decision

The Afghan Ministry of Economy on Saturday evening ordered all non-governmental organizations to stop working with women or risk having their operating license suspended.

It was not clarified whether the directive concerned foreign female staff of NGOs.

In the letter issued to local and international NGOs, the ministry explains that it took this decision after receiving "serious complaints" that the women working there did not respect the wearing of the "Islamic hijab".

In Afghanistan, women are forced to cover their faces and their entire bodies.

“We have never been warned of a problem concerning the dress code for women”, reported this Sunday an association manager on condition of anonymity.

“The ban is going to impact all aspects of humanitarian work, as female employees hold key positions in projects targeting the country's vulnerable female population,” said a senior foreign NGO official.

Millions of Afghans depend on humanitarian aid provided by international donors through an extensive network of NGOs.

In a statement, the UN reminded the Afghan authorities that by excluding women "systematically from all aspects of public and political life", they are "setting the country backwards by undermining efforts to achieve peace and meaningful stability. in the country ".

Women banned from attending universities

The noose around women has tightened in recent months.

The Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021, prohibited them, less than a week ago, from attending public and private universities, for the same reasons of dress code not being respected.

They had already excluded them from secondary schools, while they are also not allowed to enter the parks.

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They are further barred from many public jobs, cannot travel without a male relative, and have been ordered to cover themselves outside the home, ideally with a burqa.