Afghan women on NGO work ban: ‘My heart will burst from the pain’
Al JazeeraMAR 19 2023
The outrage over the restriction of women's rights under the Taliban regime is entirely justified. However, it is the families of Afghan women who suffered from the withdrawal of some 150 aid agencies that suspended their operations over the ban on women's staffing. Isolating Afghanistan is counterproductive and halting aid work contradicts the principles of neutrality and humanitarianism. This played into the Taliban's hands.
Through their repressive policies, the Taliban have deprived many Afghan women of their livelihoods, multiplying the plight of millions of Afghans. The fact that women may now work for NGOs in the health sector again is no more than a first step. The general ban on employment has made the work of many aid organizations in the country almost impossible and violates humanitarian principles.