'We simply cannot function': NGOs push back against Taliban ban on female staff members

Aid agencies in Afghanistan have appealed to the country’s Taliban rulers to reverse a decision to bar all female non-governmental organisation (NGO) workers.

The ban will cause huge implications on humanitarian services in a country where millions rely on foreign aid, said Ms Reshma Azmi, deputy country director of CARE International Afghanistan.

“We are going to push back this decision,” Ms Reshma told CNA’s Asia Tonight on Monday (Dec 26).

“We, along with other humanitarian actors and the United Nations, are collectively making efforts to speak with authorities, different stakeholders and different ministries, and trying to get clarity on the degree (of the order), and the implications.”

CARE International is one of four international aid agencies that have suspended services in the wake of the directive, saying they are unable to work effectively with women and children without their female staff members.

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on Saturday ordered all NGOs to stop their women employees from working, and threatened those that did not comply with suspension of their operating licences.

The UN condemned the move as a violation of fundamental rights, with governments and organisations sounding alarm bells on the impact on the population, more than half of whom rely on humanitarian aid.

This latest restriction by the Taliban on the NGOs’ female employees comes just days after it suspended university education for women in the country.

WOMEN AID WORKERS VITAL

Regulations and cultural norms in Afghanistan make it difficult for male aid workers to have direct contact with female beneficiaries who need help.

Women aid workers are therefore crucial in reaching out to them, the agencies said.

“It’s culturally unacceptable in Afghanistan for a man from outside of the family to go and speak to another woman,” said Ms Rebecca Roby, an advocacy manager from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“So how are we going to access these incredibly vulnerable (women) if we cannot send women into these field locations?”

Women, particularly female-headed households including widows and those whose husbands have gone abroad or to other cities to work, are among the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan who need aid, Ms Roby told CNA938’s Asia First on Tuesday.

The ban would “seriously” impair the work of the NGOs, said Ms Reshma.

“Without women aid workers, we will not be able to reach out to millions of women and girls in the country," she added.

IMPACT ON FEMALE AID WORKERS

About 38 per cent of CARE International’s 900 staff members working on humanitarian projects are female, said Ms Reshma, adding that many are also the breadwinners for their families.

“It is going to be a catastrophic situation if they lose their jobs or if they have to sit at home. So it's going to be a very difficult situation in 2023 if we are to be without women aid workers,” she said.

Ms Roby, who is based in Kabul as an international employee of NRC, said she could always choose to leave. But for Afghan women left behind, they do not have alternatives.

She said the NRC made a “very difficult choice” to temporarily suspend activities, as they have been “left with no other option”.

“Our female aid workers are non-negotiable for us, they are absolutely vital to the provision of services that we do here,” she said.

“They form roughly a third of our workforce, so to lose that overnight with no warning, we simply cannot function,” she added.

"On a principled basis, we are also not willing to work in a system that is being so openly discriminatory towards 50 per cent of the population."

NGOS DENY TALIBAN CHARGES

The Taliban cited “serious complaints” regarding women from national and international NGOs on the non-observance of Islamic dress rules and other laws as the reason for its decision on the ban.

However, numerous NGOs have denied the claims, saying they have adhered to the rules and regulations and were surprised by the “unexpected” order as there have been no complaints or prior warnings.

“To the best of our knowledge, our organisation has been fully compliant with the rules and regulations that govern how women are supposed to move and behave in public spaces,” said Ms Roby.

“We were really surprised because there had been no build-up to it, no warnings or meetings or discussions where any of these complaints or allegations would be brought to us by the authorities,” she added.

Ms Roby said the NRC’s offices in Afghanistan are gender-segregated, and female aid workers wear the hijab. Despite the extra costs of transport, accommodation, and manpower, the organisation also tries to send male chaperones for female staff going into the field.

Ms Roby said that while it has been challenging to completely observe the regulations as the rules were interpreted and implemented differently across local townships, the organisation had complied with the laws to the best of its ability.

“In some cases, our female staff were being stopped at checkpoints within city parameters of where they live and questioned on where their male chaperones were. This is even though according to the rules, they didn't need one in the city,” she said.

“So, it's been challenging to comply with the rules, but we have been complying. We have no quarrel with Afghan cultural norms or values. We're not here to challenge or change those. We're here to provide assistance to people who need it,” she added.

NGOS SEEK REVERSAL ON BAN

Apart from the affected NGOs, the UN and other humanitarian agencies are also working to persuade the Taliban rulers to drop the ban.

“(We) have called on the authorities to ensure that women are included in all aspects of life, of the humanitarian aspects, of the work that we do there,” Mr Benjamin William, secretary-general of the Singapore Red Cross, told CNA938’s Asia First.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is not affected by the ruling as it is not considered an NGO, he said.

Nonetheless, Mr William said the organisation has joined international aid agencies in urging authorities to reverse the decision.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a record 28.3 million Afghans are expected to require humanitarian aid next year, triggered by extremely high levels of food insecurity.

NGOs said they are standing by and ready to start work, as soon as the Taliban rulers lift restrictions on female NGO employees.

“We're waiting and ready to start our activities straightaway, as soon as we get assurances that women can work again,” said Ms Roby.

“But the ball is really in their court now. We've made it clear that we can't work if we don't have women. Make the choice if they're willing to compromise on that,” she added.