Banning women from working with NGOs further endangers the future and security of people in Afghanistan, especially women and girls, the most vulnerable to malnutrition, poverty and lack of human rights.
WeWorld, a member of ChildFund Alliance, has decided to temporarily suspend its activities in the country, with the exception of those considered lifesaving, in order not to leave the most vulnerable families and communities without support.
"The decision is a difficult one, but unfortunately there is no other way" says Dina Taddia, CEO of WeWorld. "Until the Taliban lift the ban on women working with NGOs, we are forced to suspend our activities”.
Women are a crucial element in activities in Afghanistan: they are often the only ones who have access to other women and can build relationships that allow stable interventions that go beyond emergencies. Most of the international and national NGOs operating in the country are also gradually suspending their activities.
Today, Afghanistan is witnessing one of the most catastrophic humanitarian crises in the world, with more than 24 million people being deprived of their basic means of subsistence, as well as being exposed to hunger and cold. WeWorld works alongside the most vulnerable: without our humanitarian aid, women who are the heads of households in rural areas are at risk of survival, due to the restrictions on movement and lack of autonomy imposed by the de facto authorities.
Prohibiting more than half of the Afghan population from contributing to assistance and development in a country on the verge of collapse, with 70% of the population whose survival depends on humanitarian aid largely provided by NGOs, not only is a violation of women's rights but also a potential catastrophe.
Banning women from continuing to collaborating with NGOs is a choice that penalizes the entire Afghan population. We hope that the authorities governing the country will reconsider this decision as soon as possible.
