Three foreign NGOs announced on Sunday that they would suspend their activities in Afghanistan, the day after the Taliban’s decision to ban women from working for local and international NGOs that are essential to the country. In a joint statement, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International announced that they would suspend their activities until this decision is “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.
“The ban will impact all aspects of humanitarian work”
On Saturday evening, as the West prepared to celebrate Christmas, the Afghan Ministry of Economy 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 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”.
“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.
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 “. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for her part, called for “a clear reaction from the international community” this Sunday.
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.