KABUL (Reuters) – Three major international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) said on Sunday they were suspending their humanitarian programs in Afghanistan in response to the Taliban’s order to ban female staff from working.
Afghanistan’s economy ministry on Saturday ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop their female staff from working until further notice, citing failure to adhere to the Islamic dress code for Taliban women – a move condemned in the whole world.
Three NGOs – Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International – said in a joint statement that they were suspending their programs until the administration’s order was clarified.
“We cannot effectively reach the children, women and men who desperately need help in Afghanistan without our female staff,” the statement said.
The suspension of some aid programs that millions of Afghans have access to comes at a time when more than half the population is dependent on humanitarian aid, NGOs say, and during the coldest season in the mountainous country. .
NGOs have also highlighted the effect of the ban on female staff on thousands of jobs amid a severe economic crisis.
Earlier, international aid agency AfghanAid said it was immediately suspending operations while it consults with other organizations, and other NGOs take similar action.
(Kabul Office, written by Gibran Peshimam; French version Kate Entringer)
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