The female staff ban in Afghanistan and its impact on our humanitarian work

by Nabeeha Shah

Afghanistan’s refugee crisis is one of the biggest humanitarian crises our world has faced. More than four decades of conflict, instability, and ensuing chronic poverty has left an estimated 24 million Afghans in dire need of humanitarian assistance. It’s no question women and young girls are among those who suffer the most in circumstances such as these — not just socially, but politically. The fundamental rights of women and young girls are under threat, and the conflict is only escalating.

In December of 2022, de facto authorities in Afghanistan announced female staff are banned from working for national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). About 39% of our staff in Afghanistan are women — that’s over 200 staff members. This ban has significantly affected our work within the country and will leave a devastating impact if efforts aren’t made towards lifting it. As of now, all non-emergency programming in the country has been temporarily paused. Pausing programming is not a step that we take lightly, however, several fellow NGOs have taken similar steps and we believe a collective pause and principled stance is needed for signifying united opposition to this ban.

That being said, we remain fully committed to the people of Afghanistan. We’re continuing to monitor the situation and urge the international community to work with NGOs and the United Nations to find solutions and not divert funding to other areas. The coming weeks are critical. The collapse of the economy in August 2021 has left 97% of the population in poverty.

Islamic Relief has served the Afghan community for more than 20 years. In 2022, we supported men, women, and children with access to basic needs including food aid, clean water and sanitation, healthcare, education, orphan family support, and sustainable livelihood support. None of which would have been possible without our dedicated female staff. It’s our hope to make the same impact, if not more, this year — alongside our female staff in the country.

To find out more, visit irusa.org/afghanistan