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Non-governmental organizations or NGOs, sometimes called civil society organizations, exist all over the world. They play important roles in areas such as education, infrastructure, advocacy, faith and healthcare. NGOs often intervene when humanitarian crises occur. They can feed the hungry, provide shelter to the poor, provide health care to those in dire need, and be a strong advocate for human rights.
When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, human rights groups (and others) worried that gains in women’s rights over the past two decades would be lost. Despite the Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid’s claim to respect women’s rights, human rights groups were understandably concerned.
Women and girls have witnessed continuous erosion and re-erosion of their rights since the Taliban takeover. They must be able to show up, must wear a full head-to-toe burqa, are barred from parks and gyms, and are restricted from doing most jobs. Girls were banned from attending secondary school in March, and just a week ago the Taliban immediately banned women from attending college. Some believe that the order also bans girls from attending primary school and outright bans all girls’ education.
On Saturday, the Taliban also banned women from attending religious classes in Kabul’s mosques and ordered all non-governmental organizations to stop working with female employees immediately. At least seven NGOs, including the International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, Islamic Relief, Christian Aid, World Vision and Afghan Aid, have suspended their operations in Afghanistan in response to the move. Female protesters were met with water cannons, batons and more.
A Taliban fighter guards as a woman passes by in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, December 26, 2022. Recent Taliban decisions on Afghan women, including a ban on college education and working with NGOs, have sparked protests in big cities. Security in the capital Kabul has tightened in recent days, with more checkpoints, armed vehicles and Taliban special forces on the streets. Authorities have not disclosed the reasons for the increased security.
Ebrahim Norooj, Associated Press
Fauzia Kufi, a former Afghan parliamentarian, told PBS on Sunday that the Taliban had issued dozens of decrees and edicts to “remove and literally erase women from public view.” This includes aid activities.
Samira Saeed Rahman, spokesperson for the International Rescue Commission, which has 3,000 female staff in Afghanistan, said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper: 28 million people However, the de facto authorities decided that women could not work for domestic and international NGOs. It is virtually impossible to continue working without female staff. This is a conservative society that needs female workers to have access to women. A country where men and women do not interact in public. We will be cut off from half Afghanistan. ” What if the helper is not allowed to help?
The UN Security Council issued a unanimous statement on 27 December expressing its “deep vigilance” against the ban on girls from attending school, adding that “the Taliban’s ban on women employees of non-governmental organizations and prevents you from going to work.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called the Taliban’s latest move to stop women working in relief organizations “tremendous” and “will have dire consequences for women and all Afghans”. said he would.
“This ban significantly undermines, if not destroys, the ability of these NGOs to provide essential services on which so many vulnerable Afghans depend. It’s all the more tragic for Afghanistan in the middle of winter knowing that the work of these NGOs is becoming more and more important,” Türk said.
Secretary of State Antony Brinken tweeted: “I am deeply concerned that the Taliban’s ban on women providing humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan will hinder vital life-saving aid for millions of people. Women are at the heart of humanitarian organizations around the world, and this decision could be devastating for the people of Afghanistan.”
The Taliban don’t really care what the international community says. “These groups operating in Afghanistan are obligated to comply with our country’s laws and regulations,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. murmured On Sunday, he warned US officials to stop interfering in Afghanistan’s “internal affairs.” “No one should be allowed to talk nonsense or threaten leaders about their decisions in the name of humanitarian assistance.”
Holly Richardson is editor Utah policy.
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