Ban on female relief workers disabling aid-delivery in Afghanistan: Report

Kabul [Afghstan], April 8 : Afghstan has been pushed deeper into a humtarian crisis after the Taliban banned female aid workers from working at NGOs, disabling aid delivery at a time when numerous people are in dire need of assistance in the country, TOLOnews reported.

Due to significant underfunding and restrictions on female relief workers, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humtarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that Afghstan is under an emergency and requires aid.

Citing OCHA's report, TOLOnews reported that despite the fact that 20 million people are suffering from extreme hunger and six million of them are on the verge of starvation in the war-torn country, only USD 213 million has been raised so far through assistance.

"While we continue to engage with the Taliban de-facto authorities to find a solution to these decrees, we urge the international community not to punish the Afghan people further by withholding critical funding. Aid agencies remain on the ground delivering lifesaving assistance to millions of people, and national and international NGOs have continued to implement programmes over the past three months despite the very challenging circumstances. The population has already endured so much, it would be unconscionable to impose further harm on them by depriving them of an essential humtarian lifeline," head of OCHA in Afghstan, Ramiz Alakbarov stated, according to TOLOnews.

"The world cannot abandon the people of Afghstan at this precarious moment," said Ramiz Alakbarov, according to the report.

If aid is not given, more people would become vulnerable, according to Wahidullah Am, a spokesman for the World Food Orgzation in Afghstan.

Residents of Kabul have emphasized that they require humtarian aid more than ever right now.

Since the Taliban seized power in Kabul last year, the humtarian situation has been exacerbated in the wake of an unprecedented nationwide economic, financial and humtarian crises.

The Taliban dismantled the system to respond to gender-based violence, created new barriers to women accessing health care, blocked women's aid workers from doing their jobs, and curtailed their basic rights.