Germany condemns Taliban ban on Afghan women working in NGOs, calls out misogyny

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock appealed to the international community for a strong response to Taliban's ban on women working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Taliban have disallowed women from working in NGOs in Afghanistan claiming that those working for these organisations do not wear the hijab properly and do not follow Islamic rules. 

The German Foreign Minister tweeted, "We will not accept the #Taliban make humanitarian aid a plaything for their misogyny. They rob half of the population of another basic right, violate humanitarian principles, and endanger people's vital needs."   

Baerbock further wrote: "Those who exclude women and girls from work, education, and public life not only ruin their country. Gender-based persecution can also be a crime against humanity. We are committed to a strong response from the international community." 

Prior to this, the German Foreign Minister had announced she would be talking about the issue of the ban on Afghanistan women on December 21 at the G7. Taking to Twitter she wrote, "By destroying the future of girls and women in #Afghanistan, the #Taliban decided to destroy their own country’s future. I will put the issue on the agenda of the G7 tomorrow. The Taliban may try to make women invisible, but won’t succeed - the world is watching." 

The German Foreign Minister's remarks come after four major international aid groups decided to stop aid to Afghanistan owing to the Taliban ban. Save The Children, the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE have said they cannot effectively help children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without the women in their workforces, the Associated Press reported.  

Germany condemns Taliban ban on Afghanistan 

The bar on women from working in NGOs comes days after Taliban decided to exclude women from university education. G7 countries strongly condemned the move. The Office of the German Foreign Minister issued a statement saying: "The recent measures by the Taliban, in conjunction with previous cumulative measures restricting the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, are extremely concerning and seem to be a systematic policy." 

Further, the G7 members have shown support for protesting Afghans in their demand to exercise their human rights consistently with Afghanistan’s obligations under international law, as per the press statement. 

The Taliban had taken over Kabul and had taken control of the country on August 15, 2021. Since then, there has been a surge in human right violations against Afghan women and girls.