Kabul: The United Nations has urged the Taliban to lift the ban on Afghan women working in its offices, warning that the restrictions are putting essential humanitarian services at risk.
Afghan women have already been barred from most public life since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, including jobs, parks, beauty salons, and schooling beyond age 12. The latest directive, issued in September, prevents Afghan women staff members and contractors from entering UN premises across the country.
Susan Ferguson, the special representative of the UN's women's agency in Afghanistan, said the organization cannot work effectively without its women staff. News agency AFP reported that several hundred staff members are currently barred. Many have been forced to work remotely for the past three months.
Ferguson said women employees continue to support relief work from home, including helping victims of recent deadly earthquakes and Afghan migrants forced to return from Pakistan and Iran. Describing their role as crucial, she said, "Only through their presence can we reach women and girls safely and provide culturally appropriate assistance."
