The International Crisis Group (ICG) released a report on Thursday which explores some of the consequences of Restrictions on Women’s rights and how it deepens the current Afghanistan crisis.
The report also looks at the Taliban’s hardening regime and how foreign capital can help support a longer-term vision for inclusivity and freedoms, starting with a stable Afghanistan, said the report.
Since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, Afghan girls and women are losing access to education, employment and public spaces in sweeping rollbacks led by the Taliban leadership.
Moreover, the restriction on Afghan female aid workers, imposed in December last year, has further interrupted the humanitarian aid organization in the country.
“The measures against women’s rights to education and employment stem from the group’s heterodox conservatism and the Taliban leader’s conviction to assert authority over the movement and the country,” read the report.
The report also emphasized that the ideological views of the Taliban’s leader and his quest for power will remain the same for a while. As a result, it proposes some measures to overcome the country’s current humanitarian crisis.
On the other hand, the report revealed that two-thirds of the population, or 28 million people, will need humanitarian assistance in 2023, and half the population will suffer from acute hunger.
However, cutting foreign aid or extending the sanctions are unlikely to have any impact on the Taliban, which would result in a massive famine in the country, the report stated.
“No good options exist for protecting women’s and girls’ rights and helping millions suffering under Taliban rule. Aid workers must pause and recalibrate when they cannot uphold humanitarian principles. Donors should fund humanitarian appeals, create space for development agencies, and address the country’s socio-economic disaster,” the report added.
According to the report’s findings, international donors should prioritise the needs of ordinary Afghans, fund humanitarian appeals, and support NGOs and the UN in their efforts to counter the Taliban’s increasing meddling with aid distribution.
The report also proposes four-point suggestions for donors to assist with the current humanitarian crisis in the country.
Funding humanitarian appeals
Donors should respond to the country’s humanitarian needs, estimated by the report to be $4.6 billion for the current year.
Support Principled aid delivery.
They support principled aid delivery. Donors should give aid agencies they fund flexibility and support for the hard choices their staff in the field must take when confronted with Taliban meddling – and pause assistance when necessary.
Focusing on long-term social change
The Taliban’s subjugation of women should not provoke international reprisals that exacerbate their suffering; donors should adopt strategies to foster a more inclusive and open society over the long term.
Addressing the causes of the disaster
The Taliban’s abysmal reputation will constrain options. However, if they wish to see Afghanistan stabilize, donors should continue to work on restoring central banking, electrical grids, irrigation systems and other essential public goods.
However, the donors and the aforementioned four criteria will focus on the root of the problem in the country until a responsible, transparent, accountable, and legitimate form of government is in place and recognised by the populace and the international world. As a result, the country can only have one functioning state to replace the dysfunctional one.
