Letter says aid agencies violating orders in work related to refugees in Spin Boldak, a town near border with Pakistan
\nKABUL
\nTaliban authorities in Afghanistan\u2019s Kandahar province ordered female aid workers this week to stop work on a refugee project, according to an official letter, reinforcing rules against women working despite exemptions sought by some organisations.
\nThe letter between departments of the ministry for refugees in Kandahar, the Taliban\u2019s historical heartland, said aid agencies had been in violation of the orders in work related to refugees in Spin Boldak, a town near the border with Pakistan.
\nThe letter seen by Reuters was confirmed by a spokesman for the provincial governor.
\n\u201cAll partner organisations that are working with the Department of Refugees and Repatriation of Spin Boldak … should ask their female colleagues not to come to their work and stay at home until further notice,\u201d the letter said.
\nA spokesperson for the United Nations\u2019 humanitarian coordination office said the body was aware of the instruction and seeking clarity.
\nThe letter underscored the uncertainty of the operating environment in Afghanistan for aid agencies who say they intend to stay and deliver aid during a humanitarian crisis but seek exemptions to let female staff work, to reach female beneficiaries and avoid breaching UN charter principles.
\nThe Taliban administration signalled in January it would work on a set of written guidelines that could allow aid groups to operate with female staff in some cases, but it has not yet done so.
\n\u201cAs you all know, according to the decree of the supreme leader, the female employees of the organisations cannot go to work until further notice … unfortunately, some partner organisations have asked their female employees to come to work in flagrant violation,\u201d the letter added, referring to Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme spiritual leader who is based in Kandahar.
\nThe Norwegian Refugee Council, an international NGO, in May said it had received exemptions for many of its operations in Kandahar and was resuming work with female staff. A spokesperson for NRC declined to comment on this week\u2019s letter.
\nThe Taliban\u2019s restrictions on women aid workers and access to education have been widely criticized by the international community. Diplomats have said the path toward formal recognition of the Taliban\u2019s government is limited until it reverses course.
\nThe Taliban, which took power after the United States pulled out troops supporting an elected government in 2021, say they respect women\u2019s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local custom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Letter says aid agencies violating orders in work related to refugees in Spin Boldak, a town near border with Pakistan KABUL Taliban authorities in Afghanistan\u2019s Kandahar province ordered female aid workers this week to stop work on a refugee project, according to an official letter, reinforcing rules against women working despite exemptions sought by some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-339782","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n