U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said Tuesday that the Taliban authorities who govern Afghanistan must revoke a ban on Afghan women working for NGOs.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been progressively removed from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to denounce the “gender apartheid” that the administration has established.
“I am deeply alarmed by the recent announcement by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan that the licenses of non-governmental organizations will be revoked if they continue to employ Afghan women. “This is absolutely the wrong path being taken,” Turk said in a statement.
He said that in a letter dated Thursday, the Taliban’s Economy Ministry ordered national and international NGOs to comply with a decree issued two years ago that prohibits them from employing Afghan women.
“The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains dire: more than half of the population lives in poverty. “NGOs play a vital role in providing critical life-saving assistance – to Afghan women, men, girls and boys – and this move will directly impact the population’s ability to receive humanitarian aid,” Turk said.
“I once again urge the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to repeal this deeply discriminatory decree and all other measures that seek to eradicate women and girls’ access to education, work and public services, including health care, and that They restrict your freedom of movement.
“No country can progress – politically, economically or socially – by excluding half of its population from public life.
“For the future of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities must change course.”
Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and blocked access to parks and other public places.
A recent law prohibits women from singing or reciting poetry in public under the Taliban government’s ultra-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 female voices.
The Taliban administration claims that Islamic law “guarantees” the rights of Afghan men and women.
