A high UN official warned Wednesday {that a} Taliban authorities order banning Afghan ladies from working for its mission within the nation “goes to violate” the world physique’s constitution, which rejects gender segregation.
The Taliban authorities have imposed a slew of restrictions on Afghan ladies since seizing energy in 2021, together with banning them from greater training and lots of authorities jobs.
The growing curbs are harking back to the Taliban’s first authorities between 1996 and 2001, when the UN mentioned they had been accountable for repeated human rights violations — significantly towards women and girls.
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The UN mentioned on Tuesday the Taliban authorities had prolonged a ban on ladies working for non-governmental organisations to the world physique’s workforce of 400 Afghan ladies.
“UNAMA obtained phrase of an order by the de facto authorities that bans feminine nationwide workers members of the United Nations from working,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, instructed reporters, including that the UN had heard “from numerous conduits that this is applicable to the entire nation”.
The UN had to date been exempt from a December order for all overseas and home help companies to cease ladies from working throughout the crisis-stricken nation.
Dujarric mentioned no written order had but been obtained, however that the UN was to carry conferences with the Taliban on Wednesday in Kabul to “search some readability”.
UN humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov instructed AFP in an interview: “The constitution of the United Nations goes to be violated.”
“It’s completely clear that no authority may give directions to the United Nations … on who must be employed,” he mentioned. “We aren’t going to make an exception.”
Whereas it’s unclear what the impact of a constitution violation can be in the long run, the UN ordered all its Afghan workers to remain house for 48 hours from Wednesday morning.
The UN airlifted $1.8 billion into Afghanistan between December 2021 and January 2023, funding an help lifeline for the nation’s 38 million residents and shoring up the home financial system.
Alakbarov mentioned the Taliban authorities order was a “large violation” of ladies’s rights. “Girls are completely important to all elements of our service supply work in Afghanistan,” he mentioned.
The UN’s 400 feminine Afghan workers are the majority of its 600 feminine workers working in Afghanistan. In whole, there are about 3,300 Afghans within the 3,900-strong UN workforce there.
The Taliban authorities ordered all NGOs in December to cease using Afghan ladies after receiving “critical complaints” that ladies workers weren’t observing a correct Islamic costume code.
“These justifications don’t have any foundation contemplating what we learn about Islam,” mentioned Alakbarov. A number of conservative nations within the area nonetheless enable ladies to check and work, he mentioned.
A number of NGOs suspended their whole operations in protest after the ban was introduced, piling additional distress on Afghanistan’s residents, half of whom are dealing with starvation, in accordance with help companies.
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It was agreed after days of debate that ladies working within the well being help sector can be exempt from the decree.
Support staff say feminine workers are essential in delivering assist to ladies beneficiaries in a deeply conservative and patriarchal nation corresponding to Afghanistan.
The restriction will even hamper donation-raising efforts by the UN at a time when Afghanistan is enduring one of many worst humanitarian crises on the earth, Alakbarov mentioned.
The Taliban authorities has imposed an austere interpretation of Islam since surging again to energy.
Authorities have barred teenage ladies from secondary faculty, ladies have been pushed out of many authorities jobs, prevented from travelling with no male family member and ordered to cowl up outdoors the house, ideally with a burqa.
Girls have additionally been banned from universities and aren’t allowed to enter parks or gardens.