Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
18 January 2023 | 11:30 CAT

Aid operations have resumed by some organisations in Afghanistan following assurances from Taliban authorities that women could work in areas such as health.

Photo credit: NRC.

Last month, the Taliban administration in Afghanistan banned local and foreign female aid workers in nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), citing that some women had not adhered to the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code.

In response, many NGOs suspended operations in the region. However, a month later the Taliban allowed female aid organisations to continue their work with limitations.

Aid organisations like the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children and CARE said this week that are were resuming operations with programmes mostly in health and nutrition.

“Last week, the Ministry of Public Health offered assurances that female health staff, and those working in office support roles, can resume working. Based on this clarity, IRC has restarted health and nutrition services through our static and mobile health teams in four provinces,” said a spokesperson for IRC, Nancy Dent.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health told the Reuters news agency that they had not stopped any health-related activities and claimed it was a misunderstanding.

“Due to a misunderstanding they stopped their health services and now they have restarted their health services,” he told Reuters.

Afghanistan’s 38 million people have been facing the worst humanitarian crisis with three million children at risk of malnutrition following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.