A new statement, published on 20 January 2023, exposes the disastrous impact of the many Taliban bans against Afghan women and girls and highlights the dangers of banning women from working in NGOs.
Developed by the Umbrella of Afghan Women Leaders*, this statement outlines the condition of women and girls in Afghanistan and calls for a halt to all humanitarian activities by the UN and other relevant actors until Afghan women can resume work, including women staff of local NGOs.
“Humanitarian aid should resume when Afghan women employees are able to work and when women and girls can have effective access to aid.”
Statement by the Umbrella of Afghan Women Leaders on the Taliban’s ban to women’s work in the humanitarian NGO sector: Women’s Rights must NOT be a bargaining chip between the Taliban and the International Community
Initiated by Afghan women living in Afghanistan or belonging to the diaspora, this statement alerts us once again to the reality of the situation since the takeover of the Taliban back in August 2021: a gender apartheid depriving women and girls of their rights and freedom.
By now, their demands are as follows:
- The establishment and full respect of uncompromising, coordinated efforts and pressure
- The ending of the use of women and girls as a bargaining chip between the UN and the Taliban
- An immediate, full and permanent reversal of the ban
The statement also calls on Amina Mohammed the UN Deputy Secretary General (DSG), as a last resort, to take a stand in unswerving solidarity with Afghan women and girls.
For further details or to be put in relation with Afghan activists able to give you more in-depth insights and reports on the situation in Afghanistan/diaspora, please contact:
Rola Al-Masri, Director of Programmes at WILPF, at rola.almasri (a) wilpf.org
*The Umbrella of Afghan Women Leaders is a platform led by Afghan women both inside Afghanistan and in the diaspora. One of the Umbrella’s objectives is to foster solidarity and coordination amongst Afghan women activists, networks, and coalitions inside and outside of Afghanistan to sustain the women movement under Taliban, and to improve the situation for Afghan women by ensuring their meaningful contribution to the social, economic and political life of the country.