- Aalia Farzan, Neggeen Sadid, James FitzGerald
- BBC reporter
image source,Getty Images
The new decree comes shortly after the Taliban began banning women from universities, enforced by armed guards
A ban imposed by the Afghan Taliban on women working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has been condemned by the United Nations, which says the move violates fundamental rights.
Islamist regime leaders defended the move, saying female NGO staff were breaking dress codes by not wearing Muslim headscarves.
The decree comes within days – even over the weekend – of a previous ban on girls from attending university. Protests against university bans in Afghanistan continue, with the Taliban using water cannon trucks against protesters.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed the Taliban’s latest ban as “devastating for the Afghan people”.
Some NGO workers in Afghanistan, whose income is the main source of income for their families, expressed their fear and helplessness to the BBC.
“If I can’t go to work, who will support my family?” said one of them, while another, who is the breadwinner of the family, called the news “shocking” and insisted that he had complied with the strict Taliban dress code.
A third woman questioned the Taliban’s “Islamic morality”. She said she would struggle to pay the bills and feed her children.
“The world watches us and does nothing,” said another woman interviewed. To protect them, the BBC hides the women’s names.
Saturday’s ban came in the form of letters sent by the Afghan economy ministry to national and international NGOs. It threatened to revoke the license of any organization that did not act quickly to comply with the ban.
The ban was explained by saying that women in these institutions violated Islamic Sharia law (Sharia) and did not wear the Muslim hijab.
The ban has sparked strong repercussions from the international community. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was deeply concerned about the incident, saying it “will affect the lives, livelihoods and life-saving assistance of millions of people”.
“Women are a central part of humanitarian action around the world. This decision could be devastating for the people of Afghanistan,” Blinken said.
A senior UN official described the decree as a “clear violation of humanitarian principles”.
United Nations agencies have a significant presence in the country, carrying out relief and development work. The United Nations National Humanitarian Team has scheduled an emergency meeting on Sunday in response to the news.
A Save the Children employee told the BBC the group planned to meet with Taliban authorities, saying some NGOs would have to close if women were not allowed to work.
There are also fears that if the organizations allow only men to be employed, Afghan women will be denied direct assistance. The Taliban stipulates that men cannot work directly with women.
Melissa Cornet of Care International said female employees are “essential” in reaching other women and girls.
“Without them, the humanitarian situation could rapidly deteriorate in a country where a large proportion of the population is already facing life-threatening famine,” he said.
Amnesty International’s South Asia division described the ban as “yet another egregious attempt to exclude women from the political, social and economic spheres” in Afghanistan.
A female doctor working in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and nearby remote villages said she was “saddened and saddened” by the news.
She predicted that women would have “tremendous difficulty” getting medical help because they “wouldn’t be able to fully tell men about their problems.”
Meanwhile, an imam – whose identity has not been disclosed for protection – said the Taliban “are not committed to upholding any Islamic values”.
“Islamic teachings do not say that men can be educated and women cannot, nor that men can work but women cannot. We are confused by this decision,” she explained.
Similarly, the ban on the admission of women to Afghan universities was criticized last week. The ban sparked protests, including a demonstration in the city of Herat on Saturday, but was quickly cracked down by Talita.
Taliban use water cannons to suppress university demonstrations
On Saturday (December 24) in the city of Herat, people demonstrated against the Afghan ban on the admission of women to universities, which was forcibly lifted by the Taliban.
Videos on social media showed the Taliban using water cannon trucks to drive away dozens of female protesters, who were forced to flee by the side of the road.
Someone can be heard in the video chanting, “Education is our right.”
In one of the videos, someone shouted: “The Taliban are cowards!”
The Taliban announced on Tuesday (December 20) that women would be barred from enrolling in universities with immediate effect “until further notice”, citing female students who did not abide by the dress code.
The regime’s higher education minister said the girls went to school “dressed as if they were going to a wedding”.
The Taliban then arrested five women and three journalists who had participated in the protest in the capital.
The day after the ban was announced, armed guards stopped outside the university to prevent girls from returning to school, and most secondary schools across the country also barred girls from entering.
The Taliban have continued to crack down on women’s rights since they regained control of the country last year, despite promises of a more relaxed government than in the 1990s.
Apart from the ban on women attending university currently enforced by armed guards, girls’ secondary schools remain closed in many provinces.
Additionally, women are barred from entering many public places such as parks and gyms.
* Hania Ali (Haniya Ali) Additional reporting
