Foreign aid groups halt work after Taliban ban on female staff - BBC

Five apical non-governmental organisations (NGOs) person suspended enactment successful Afghanistan aft women were banned from moving for them by the Taliban.

Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Save the Children said they could not proceed their enactment "without our pistillate staff".

The International Rescue Committee besides suspended services portion Islamic Relief said it was stopping astir of its work.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban person been steadily repressing women's rights.

The latest edict connected NGOs came conscionable days aft the Taliban banned women from attending university.

Abdel Rahman Habib, spokesperson for the Taliban's ministry of economy, accused pistillate workers astatine the overseas assistance groups of breaking formal codes by not wearing hijabs.

The Taliban threatened to cancel the licence of immoderate organisation that did not swiftly comply with the ban.

A fig of assistance groups person since spoken out, demanding that women should beryllium allowed to proceed moving for them.

The leaders of Care, the NRC and Save the Children said successful a associated connection the organisations "would not person jointly reached millions of Afghans successful request since August 2021" were it not for their pistillate staff.

"Whilst we summation clarity connected this announcement, we are suspending our programmes, demanding that men and women tin arsenic proceed our lifesaving assistance successful Afghanistan," their connection added.

Separately, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) - which employs 3,000 women crossed Afghanistan - said its quality to present services relied connected "female unit astatine each levels of our organisation" and if women could not beryllium employed, they could not present to "those successful need".

Islamic Relief said it had taken the "difficult determination to temporarily suspend non-lifesaving activities successful Afghanistan" including "projects that enactment impoverished families to gain a surviving arsenic good arsenic acquisition and immoderate healthcare projects". Life-saving healthcare, it added, would continue.

"Islamic Relief is calling connected the Afghan authorities to instantly assistance the prohibition connected pistillate NGO workers," the organisation said.

"The prohibition volition person a devastating humanitarian interaction connected millions of susceptible men, women and children crossed the country. We are dismayed that this ruling comes conscionable a fewer days aft accrued restrictions connected Afghan girls' entree to education."

Ramiz Alakbarov, the United Nations' apical humanitarian coordinator, said the UN was trying to get the prohibition reversed and that it was a "red enactment for the full humanitarian community".

The United Nations could halt humanitarian assistance transportation successful Afghanistan if the Taliban authorities bash not reverse their edict banning women assistance workers, the authoritative told the BBC.

But Mr Alakbarov said it was inactive unclear what the Taliban meant by its edict.

He said the Taliban's curate of wellness had told the UN the bureau should proceed its health-related enactment and women could "report to enactment and discharge their services".

Other ministries had besides contacted the UN straight to accidental enactment successful the areas of catastrophe absorption and emergencies should continue, helium added.

Jan Egeland of the NRC said astir 500 of the assistance group's 1,400 workers were women, and that pistillate unit had been operating "according to each accepted values, formal code, movement, [and] separation of offices".

He said helium hoped the determination would beryllium "reversed successful the adjacent fewer days" and warned that millions would endure if NGOs' enactment was obstructed.

NGOs besides expressed interest astir the effect the prohibition would person connected jobs "in the midst of an tremendous economical crisis".

Female Afghan NGO workers acting arsenic the main earners successful their household antecedently told the BBC of their fearfulness and helplessness pursuing the ban.

One asked: "If I cannot spell to my job, who tin enactment my family?" Another breadwinner called the quality "shocking" and insisted she had complied with the Taliban's strict formal code.

The prohibition triggered planetary outcry, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informing it would "disrupt captious and life-saving assistance to millions".

Since seizing backmost power of the state past year, the Taliban person steadily restricted women's rights - contempt promising its regularisation would beryllium softer than the authorities seen successful the 1990s.

As good arsenic the bans connected NGO workers and pistillate assemblage students - successful the lawsuit of students, present being enforced by equipped guards - secondary schools for girls stay closed successful astir provinces.

Women person besides been prevented from entering parks and gyms, among different nationalist places.