Authorities in Afghanistan are further tightening restrictions on women working in humanitarian aid, a move the United Nations says is jeopardising life-saving services for people in dire need.
“These measures are putting life-saving humanitarian assistance and other essential services for hundreds of thousands of people affected by a recent deadly earthquake at risk. It is having a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of people in need of help,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) disclosed it was forced to close aid centres after local female staff were barred from accessing UN facilities, with military guards stationed at the entrances.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, told reporters in Geneva on Friday that the restrictions amounted to “a quite outrageous imposition on all of us.”
He said the closures affected eight aid centres where displaced people, including those forced out of Pakistan, usually receive registration and emergency relief. Around 7,000 people arrive at the centres daily, with women making up 52 per cent of those in need.
“Without female staff, it is not possible to help women,” Jamal stressed, adding that the UNHCR would not provide services for men only.
(NAN)