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CNN
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A minimum of half a dozen main international help teams have mentioned they’re quickly suspending their operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban barred feminine staff of non-governmental organizations from coming to work.
“We can’t successfully attain youngsters, men and women in determined want in Afghanistan with out our feminine employees,” help organizations Save the Youngsters, Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE Worldwide mentioned in a joint assertion Sunday.
“While we acquire readability on this announcement, we’re suspending our programmes, demanding that women and men can equally proceed our lifesaving help in Afghanistan,” mentioned the assertion, which was signed by the heads of the three NGOs.
One other help group, the Worldwide Rescue Committee, mentioned that of the greater than 8,000 folks it employs in Afghanistan, greater than 3,000 are ladies. “If we aren’t allowed to make use of ladies, we aren’t capable of ship to these in want,” it mentioned in a press release on Sunday, saying it was pausing operations within the nation.
Afghanaid additionally suspended its work in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s transfer, whereas Islamic Reduction mentioned it had been compelled to “quickly droop non-lifesaving actions in Afghanistan.”
The Taliban administration on Saturday ordered all native and worldwide non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to cease their feminine staff from coming to work, in keeping with a letter by the Ministry of Financial system despatched to all licensed NGOs. Non-compliance will end result within the licenses of mentioned NGOs being revoked, the ministry mentioned.
David Wright, chief working officer for Save the Youngsters Worldwide, advised CNN on Monday that the group was unable to “attain tens of hundreds of susceptible moms and kids proper throughout the nation” due to the ban.
“We will’t get out to work as a result of we’d like our feminine colleagues to assist us get entry to ladies and kids. You’ll be able to’t entry younger moms or younger youngsters in schooling if you happen to don’t have feminine employees, as a result of it’s not acceptable in Afghanistan to have all-male employees coping with younger ladies or youngsters,” he mentioned.
Within the letter, the ministry cites the nonobservance of Islamic gown guidelines and different legal guidelines and laws as causes for the choice.
“Currently there have been severe complaints relating to not observing the Islamic hijab and different Islamic Emirate’s legal guidelines and laws,” the letter mentioned, including that consequently “steerage is given to droop work of all feminine staff of nationwide and worldwide non-governmental organizations.”
The brand new restrictions mark yet one more step within the Taliban’s brutal crackdown on the freedoms of Afghan ladies, following the hardline Islamist group’s takeover of the nation in August 2021.
Though the Taliban have repeatedly claimed they’ll shield the rights of women and girls, they’ve the truth is executed the other, stripping away the hard-won freedoms for which ladies have fought tirelessly over the previous twenty years.
“The supreme chief is doing no matter he can… to make ladies as powerless as attainable, even when there are different factions that say in any other case,” Afghan human rights activist Pashtana Durrani advised CNN on Sunday.
“The Taliban don’t care. They need ladies to be as restricted as attainable, particularly the supreme chief,” she added.
Earlier this week, the Taliban authorities suspended college schooling for all feminine college students in Afghanistan.
In a televised information convention on Thursday, the Taliban’s greater schooling minister mentioned that they had banned ladies from universities for not observing Islamic gown guidelines and different “Islamic values,” citing feminine college students touring with no male guardian. The transfer sparked outrage amongst ladies in Afghanistan.
A gaggle of ladies took to the streets within the metropolis of Herat on Saturday to protest the college ban. Video footage circulating on social media confirmed Taliban officers utilizing a water cannon to disperse the feminine protesters. Women might be seen operating from the water cannon and chanting “cowards” at officers.
A number of the Taliban’s most putting restrictions have been round schooling, with women additionally barred from returning to secondary faculties in March. The transfer devastated many college students and their households, who described to CNN their dashed goals of changing into docs, academics or engineers.
The United Nations on Saturday condemned the Taliban’s NGO announcement and mentioned it could attempt to get hold of a gathering with Taliban management to hunt readability.
“Girls have to be enabled to play a essential position in all facets of life, together with the humanitarian response. Banning ladies from work would violate essentially the most basic rights of ladies, in addition to be a transparent breach of humanitarian ideas,” the UN assertion learn. “This newest resolution will solely additional damage these most susceptible, particularly ladies and women.”
UNICEF mentioned the order was an “egregious rollback of rights for women and girls (that) could have sweeping penalties on the supply of well being, vitamin and schooling providers for kids.”
Amnesty Worldwide referred to as for the ban to “be reversed instantly” and for the Taliban to “cease misusing their energy.”
The Worldwide Committee of the Crimson Cross (ICRC) mentioned Sunday it was significantly involved about the way forward for Afghanistan’s healthcare system and feminine sufferers.
The ICRC mentioned that it helps 45 well being constructions in Afghanistan, together with hospitals and medical faculties. Amongst others, it pays the salaries of 10,483 well being employees – 33% of whom are ladies.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken additionally condemned the transfer Saturday. “Deeply involved that the Taliban’s ban on ladies delivering humanitarian help in Afghanistan will disrupt very important and life-saving help to hundreds of thousands,” he wrote on Twitter. “Girls are central to humanitarian operations around the globe. This resolution might be devastating for the Afghan folks.”
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid mentioned US officers ought to “not intrude within the inner problems with” Afghanistan.
“These organizations operative in Afghanistan are obliged to adjust to the legal guidelines and laws of our nation,” he tweeted Sunday, including, “We don’t allow anybody to state irresponsible phrases or make threats concerning the choices or officers of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan below the title of humanitarian help.”
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