US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that 29 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid.
In a video message marking the 75th year since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed, Blinken said that the “Taliban’s” recent prohibition of barring Afghan women from working at NGOs “has closed off yet another pathway that should be open for them.”
Blinken in an interview with Doniyor Tukhsinov of Kun.uz, an Uzbekistan news outlet, said that the US has been the number one provider of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan because it doesn’t want the “people to suffer; and they are, but we’ve worked very hard to make sure that food, medicine, basic supplies were made available to them.”
“The Taliban has made that more difficult by prohibiting women’s participation in the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” he said.
This comes as women’s rights activists and citizens urged the Islamic Emirate to facilitate women’s access to work.
“We call on the Islamic Emirate to pave the way for work. In the current situation, women need to have access to work,” said Sahar, a resident of Kabul.
“We demand the Islamic Emirate allow women to learn and have access to work,” said Fareshta, a resident of Kabul.
“The men and women who are employed can earn income and Halal food and they can also provide the food and pay the expenses of their families,” said Suraya Paikan, a human rights defender.
Economists believe that women’s work in government departments plays a positive role in economic growth.
“The economic presence of women is undoubtedly essential. This improves the economic development, GDP and annual income of Afghanistan and it can also put a positive impact on the reduction of poverty in Afghanistan,” said Mir Shikib, an economist.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate said that women are working in the areas where they are needed.
“The Ministry of Economy—that is in contact with the international organizations—is working on a procedure to identify the areas that will be exempt and also provide an alternative to the women who are jobless,” Mujahid said.
Earlier, the Ministry of Economy said the reduction in financial support for Afghanistan has affected the people.
