Humanitarian Aid & Peacekeeping

Aid groups warn of deadly consequences from Taliban ban against Afghan women in NGOs

NGOs and humanitarian organizations, many of them staffed and led by women, provide critical life-saving services for many people in Afghanistan, including health care programs for pre- and post-natal and infant care staffed by women.

, and John Heilprin

December 28, 2022 . 2:27 PM

4 min read

Groups are protesting the Taliban's edict against women working for aid groups (AN/Brett Jordan/Unsplash)

The heads of about two dozen United Nations-aligned and other international organizations pursued diplomacy while demanding that the Taliban immediately end its policies severely curtailing the freedoms of women and girls.

They denounced a decision by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to ban women from working in humanitarian nongovernmental organizations, calling it a major blow for women, children and other vulnerable communities as well as the entire country that has forced some programs to be halted.