Following the imposition of harsh restrictions on women, the international aid organizations say their operations without the presence of female employees have been paralyzed in Afghanistan.
Gen Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) earlier today Tweeted that Norway’s primer aid organization can’t continue its operations in Afghanistan without its female employees.
Mr. Egeland recently traveled to Afghanistan and visited the NRC offices, stating that his country’s aid organization operation has been paralyzed in the absence of women employees in Afghanistan.
NRC has stated that in order to deliver lifesaving support to some 700,000 vulnerable Afghan families, the employment of 469 Afghan women needs to be resumed, otherwise, the lives of scores of ordinary people are at immediate risk in the country.
Prior to this, in response to the gender-based restrictions introduced by Islamic Emirate authorities, Mr. Egeland had clearly stated that NRC would halt its operations without female staff. Also, he had called on other NGOs to cease their operations with only male employees in Afghanistan – emphasizing that work without women is a terrible nightmare in the contemporary environment.
Meanwhile, some female employees of the United Nations had released their research findings regarding the imposed restrictions on women employees of the NGOs, indicating the 150 aid organizations have either fully or partially ceased their much-needed operations in Afghanistan since the announcement.
Although a considerable number of humanitarian aid organizations including the UNAMA, UN, EU, NRC, CARE, and the international community gravely criticized the act and called on the Islamic Emirate authorities to reverse the decision, no change has come forward so far.
In the meantime, the dire economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is a great challenge, beyond the ruling regime’s capacity to find solutions on its own.
