A new report by the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group and the Humanitarian Access Working Group says that 75 percent of humanitarian organizations operating in Afghanistan have accepted Taliban-imposed conditions including requiring a male guardian (mahram) and maintaining gender-segregated workplaces in order to continue employing women. The report also highlights the impact of funding cuts, which have led to layoffs of female staff and further restrictions on their participation in humanitarian work.
Published on Wednesday, July 15, the report is based on a survey of 122 humanitarian organizations operating across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. According to the findings, reduced funding, the dismissal of female employees, increased Taliban restrictions on humanitarian operations, and organizations’ acceptance of Taliban conditions are among the most significant challenges facing the sector.
According to the report, 56 percent of surveyed organizations said they had laid off Afghan female staff because of funding reductions, while 46 percent reported that women are no longer able to work in offices as they did previously. In addition, 16 percent of female humanitarian workers are now working remotely following the introduction of Taliban restrictions.
The survey found that the highest levels of restrictions on humanitarian organizations and female staff were reported in the provinces of Herat, Kabul, Nangarhar, Kandahar, and Kunar. The report states that the education and health sectors have been the most severely affected by the restrictions on women’s employment.
It also found that 61 percent of organizations require female employees to be accompanied by a male guardian during work-related travel. Meanwhile, 49 percent of organizations reported that female staff are experiencing increased anxiety and security concerns due to restrictions on movement and dress. Some organizations also said that female employees have been stopped by officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice while traveling to and from work.
The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group and the Humanitarian Access Working Group are coordination mechanisms involving the United Nations, international and national non-governmental organizations, and other humanitarian actors working to coordinate humanitarian access and response efforts in Afghanistan.
The report comes as UN Women has previously warned that reductions in international funding are pushing organizations that support women in crisis-affected countries, including Afghanistan, toward closure, further limiting women’s and girls’ access to essential services.
