KABUL: Despite restrictions that prohibited female NGO employees last month, several aid organizations have resumed some operations in Afghanistan after receiving assurances from Taliban-run authorities that women could work in fields like health.
This week, Save the Children, CARE, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said they were running some programs again, mostly in the areas of health and nutrition.
Last month, the Taliban administration issued an order prohibiting female employees from working for local and international aid organizations until further notice. It claimed that some women had not adhered to the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code, which led to the global condemnation of the move.
As a result, numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) shut down, claiming that they needed female staffers to reach women in the conservative nation.
The Ministry of Public Health provided assurances last week that female health staff and office support workers can resume employment. Nancy Dent, a spokesperson for IRC, stated, “Based on this clarity, IRC has restarted health and nutrition services through our static and mobile health teams in four provinces.”
The Afghan Ministry of Public Health’s spokesperson stated that no health-related activities had been halted. They stopped providing health services because of a miscommunication, and they have since resumed providing health services,” he continued.
Save the Children said that it had restarted a small number of its health, nutrition, and education programs where it had received clear instructions from authorities that female employees could operate safely, but it cautioned that this was only a small number.
