The non-governmental organization Doctors of the World announced Thursday its decision to suspend its activities in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s decision to ban women from working for national and international NGOs, while calling on the group to lift these restrictions.
The NGO said in a statement that it «strongly condemns» the Taliban’s decision and noted that «in response to this measure, Doctors of the World has decided to suspend its activities in Afghanistan».
«Doctors of the World warns that by banning women from working in NGOs, a red line has been crossed. Therefore, the organization has taken the difficult decision to suspend its activities because it believes that an effective humanitarian response in line with humanitarian principles cannot be achieved without women,» he said.
She underlined the «essential role» played by NGOs at a time when Afghanistan is facing «economic collapse» and «a severe humanitarian crisis», while noting that «banning women from working will only have a dramatic and devastating impact on the lives of millions of vulnerable women, men and children in the country».
«Doctors of the World reiterates that it is essential that the ban be lifted and that women aid workers resume their activities in the country. This decision by the Afghan authorities also comes just days after restrictions on Afghan girls’ access to education were increased,» the NGO concluded.
The Taliban clarified on Tuesday that the ban on women working for NGOs operating in the country does not affect international or UN staff, nor does it affect female health workers. The measure has led several NGOs to suspend their operations, including World Vision, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International.
For his part, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called on the Taliban to immediately lift the latest restrictions on the public life of Afghan women, including the ban on university education and NGO work, and warned of the «terrible cascading effects» on their lives and the overall situation in the Central Asian country.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
