PESHAWAR: Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Taliban laws barring female aid workers is worsening the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The campaign group alleged that in more than half of Afghanistan’s provinces, the Taliban have either fired female employees or imposed restrictions on their work. The group says in some areas female Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are forced to have male supervisors to run their affairs, a condition that often cannot be met.
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“Only in three provinces women charities are carrying on their work without any conditions or restrictions,” the Human Rights Watch said. The group called for a written agreement that will allow female charities across the country to feel safe and perform their work without any restriction. The group says this will enable female aid workers to reach out to more vulnerable people.
The Taliban have not yet commented on the allegations.
According to Human Rights Watch, 78 percent of Afghan women and girls have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime. “Afghan women have fought for their rights and achieved a number of fundamental rights over the past 20 years, but there are now concerns that this progress could be hampered by a male-dominated Taliban government,” HRW said. “The Taliban have banned girls from attending secondary schools in all but a few provinces. Apart from women in the health sector, other women have not been able to return to their jobs.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also criticised the Taliban for “breaking” commitments regarding Afghan women and girls. The Taliban said that they will allow women to work “within the framework of Islamic law” after creating a conducive environment.
The Taliban are accused to have shut down the Afghan ministry of women affairs and replaced it with the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice ministry which indicates that the group’s tough stance on women has not changed. The report came after the Taliban Ministry of Education issued a notification that secondary schools for boys would resume educational activities. There was no mention of reopening girls’ schools.