Afghanistan: Following the Taliban regime’s decision to restrict women from working for non-governmental organisations, four significant international aid organizations have ceased their operations in Afghanistan.

Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE stated that they could not effectively reach people in desperate need without the women in their workforces. The NGO ban was introduced a day earlier, allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf correctly.

In the midst of worsening humanitarian conditions, the four NGOs have been offering support and services in the areas of healthcare, education, child protection, and nutrition.

The Taliban takeover in August 2021 sent Afghanistan’s economy into a tailspin and transformed the country, driving millions into poverty and hunger. Foreign aid completely stopped overnight. Access to international organizations and the outside funds that financed Afghanistan’s aid-dependent economy prior to the withdrawal of US and NATO forces have already been hampered by sanctions against the Taliban leadership, a ban on bank transfers, and the freezing of billions in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

The Australian foreign minister, Ms. Penny Wong, condemned the “appalling decision”, and tweeted it “seriously impacts the country’s ability to deal with a major humanitarian crisis.”

Australia condemns the Taliban’s appalling decision to ban women from NGOs in Afghanistan.

This decision seriously impacts the country’s ability to deal with a major humanitarian crisis.

We support the UN which is leading discussions with the Taliban to annul this decision.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) December 26, 2022

The International Rescue Committee, which employs more than 3,000 women in Afghanistan, expressed dismay at the Taliban’s choice. In a statement announcing its decision to halt operations in the nation, the organisation claimed that “If we are not allowed to employ women, we are not able to deliver to those in need.”

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