Taliban forbids – In a nutshell
- UN says Taliban bans its women employees from working.
- The organization instructed 3,300 Afghan staff not to report to the office for 48 hours over security reasons.
The Taliban bans Afghan women from working for the United Nations, the organization said on Wednesday. The global organization instructed 3,300 Afghan staff, including men and women, not to report to the office for 48 hours to give UN authorities time to persuade the Taliban to lift the ban.
UN had anticipated the ban as it stated on Tuesday that the female employees in the eastern province of Nangarhar had already stopped coming to the office. The Taliban told UN officials orally but not in writing that the ban was going ahead nationwide.
“Ban unacceptable”
The UN officials strongly condemned the Taliban’s directive.
Addressing the reporters on Tuesday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric Guterres stated that any such prohibition “would be unacceptable and frankly, inconceivable”.
The service of women staff is crucial to delivering services in the poverty-stricken areas of Afghanistan. The UN is attempting to reach 23 million men, women, and children in Afghanistan, out of a population of over 40 million people, said Dujarric.
We will continue to look for any way to reach the most vulnerable groups, notably women and girls, he added.
With a workforce of 4,000 staff, among whom 3,500 are Afghans, the ban if enforced, is going to be a major blow to the life-saving operations on the ground.
The UN deputy chief, Amina Mohammed, maintained that both male and female Afghan employees are essential to the organization’s services. She stated that the women employees would continue to be paid.
She added that she had met with the de facto authorities’ Foreign Affairs Minister earlier Wednesday morning, and pledged that UN leadership would “continue to engage” with Taliban representatives, “as well as neighboring countries” to resolve the latest human rights violation.
Taliban forbids – UN Women vow to help
Sima Bahous, UN Women’s Executive Director, stated that her organization was “committed to continuing in every way possible to deliver vital services and support, so no woman or girl will be left out or left behind.”
“The people of Afghanistan need more aid, not less. I saw and heard this firsthand from Afghan women on my recent visit there,” she continued. “At this dark hour, we must not forget them. The removal of skilled women aid workers decreases women’s and girls’ access to critical life-saving services and increases their risks when they have to seek assistance from men instead.”
Continuing violations
The recent crackdown is part of a long line of restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women ever since they ascended to power in 2021. The continued assault on women’s rights also shows no signs of stopping. ( Taliban forbids)
Last December, the Taliban prohibited women from attending universities. In November, women were barred from the capital’s parks, gyms, and public baths. ( Taliban forbids )
It was followed by an edict prohibiting women from working for non-governmental organizations on the pretext that female NGO employees had violated dress regulations by not wearing hijabs. UN employees were exempted from this ban, which seems to have come to an end with the latest directive. ( Taliban forbids )
