UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban authorities should lift a ban on Afghan women working for non-governmental organizations.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been gradually erased from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to condemn the administration’s practice of “sexual apartheid”.
“I am deeply troubled by the recent announcement by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan that NGOs will have their licenses revoked if they continue to employ Afghan women. This is the wrong way to go,” Turk said in a statement. Turk said in a statement.
In a letter on Thursday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Economy ordered national and international NGOs to comply with a decree issued two years ago barring them from employing Afghan women, he said. has been stopped.
“The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains dire, with more than half of the population living in poverty. Non-governmental organizations play a vital role in providing vital life-saving assistance – to Afghan women, men, girls and boys – and This move will directly affect the population’s ability to receive humanitarian aid,” Turk said.
“I once again call on the de facto authorities of Afghanistan to rescind this deeply discriminatory decree, and all other measures that seek to deny women and girls access to public services, including education, work and health care. are, and which restrict their freedom of movement.
“No country can develop – politically, economically or socially – while keeping half of its population out of public life.
“For the future of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities must change course.”
Since the Taliban’s return to power, women have been gradually erased from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to condemn the administration’s “gender and racial discrimination.”
Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and restricted access to parks and other public spaces.
A recent law prohibits women from singing or reciting poetry in public under the Taliban regime’s strict application of Islamic law. It also encourages them to “veil” their voices and bodies outside the home.
Some local radio and television stations have also stopped broadcasting women’s voices.