From Reuters:
“Taliban official letter reinforces bar of female aid staff
in southern Kandahar”
Taliban authorities in Afghanistan's Kandahar province
ordered female aid workers this week to stop work on a refugee project,
according to an official letter, reinforcing rules against women working
despite exemptions sought by some organisations. The letter between departments
of the ministry for refugees in Kandahar, the Taliban's historical heartland,
said aid agencies had been in violation of the orders in work related to
refugees in Spin Boldak, a town near the border with Pakistan. The letter seen
by Reuters was confirmed by a spokesman for the provincial governor. "All
partner organisations that are working with the Department of Refugees and
Repatriation of Spin Boldak ... should ask their female colleagues not to come
to their work and stay at home until further notice," the letter said. A
spokesperson for the United Nations' humanitarian coordination office said the
body was aware of the instruction and seeking clarity. The letter underscored
the uncertainty of the operating environment in Afghanistan for aid agencies
who say they intend to stay and deliver aid during a humanitarian crisis but
seek exemptions to let female staff work, to reach female beneficiaries and avoid
breaching UN charter principles.
The Taliban administration signalled in January it would work
on a set of written guidelines that could allow aid groups to operate with
female staff in some cases, but it has not yet done so. "As you all know,
according to the decree of the supreme leader, the female employees of the
organisations cannot go to work until further notice ... unfortunately, some
partner organisations have asked their female employees to come to work in flagrant
violation," the letter added, referring to Haibatullah Akhundzada, the
supreme spiritual leader who is based in Kandahar. The Norwegian Refugee
Council, an international NGO, in May said it had received exemptions for many
of its operations in Kandahar and was resuming work with female staff. A
spokesperson for NRC declined to comment on this week's letter. The Taliban's
restrictions on women aid workers and access to education have been widely
criticized by the international community. Diplomats have said the path toward
formal recognition of the Taliban's government is limited until it reverses
course. The Taliban, which took power after the United States pulled out troops
supporting an elected governement in 2021, say they respect women's rights in
accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local custom.
^ The Taliban just keep digging themselves deeper and deeper
in their hole of problems that could easily be fixed if they simply stopped
being Terrorists and started being Government Officials and give Women the same
rights as Men (as many other Muslim Countries have.) ^
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