Foreign Aid Groups Halt Work After Taliban Ban On Female Staff
New
Age Islam News Bureau
26
December 2022
•
Heba Saadia, First Palestinian Referee To Take Part In FIFA Women’s World Cup
•
Afghan Women Denounce Taliban’s Ban On Females Working For Ngos
•
West Brom Women Forward Mariam Mahmood Holds Pakistan Talks As
British-Pakistani Trio Train In Lahore
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/foreign-aid-taliban-ban-female/d/128720
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Foreign
Aid Groups Halt Work After Taliban Ban On Female Staff
Afghan women walk alongside a road in Kandahar on
July 29, 2022.
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By
Natasha Preskey & Neggeen Sadid
Five
top non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have halted work in Afghanistan after
women were banned from working for them by the Taliban government.
Care
International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Save the Children said
they could not continue their work "without our female staff".
The
International Rescue Committee also suspended services while Islamic Relief
said it was stopping most of its work.
Afghanistan's
ruling Taliban have been steadily repressing women's rights.
The
latest edict on NGOs came just days after the Taliban banned women from
attending university.
Abdel
Rahman Habib, spokesman for the Taliban's ministry of economy, accused female
workers at the foreign aid groups of breaking dress codes by not wearing
hijabs.
The
Taliban threatened to cancel the licence of any organisation that did not
swiftly comply with the ban.
A
number of aid groups have since spoken out, demanding that women should be
allowed to continue working for them.
The
leaders of Care, the NRC and Save the Children said in a joint statement the
organisations "would not have jointly reached millions of Afghans in need
since August 2021" were it not for their female staff.
"Whilst
we gain clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programmes,
demanding that men and women can equally continue our lifesaving assistance in
Afghanistan," their statement added.
Separately,
the International Rescue Committee (IRC) - which employs 3,000 women across
Afghanistan - said its ability to deliver services relied on "female staff
at all levels of our organisation" and if women could not be employed,
they could not deliver to "those in need".
Islamic
Relief said it had taken the "difficult decision to temporarily suspend
non-lifesaving activities in Afghanistan" including "projects that
support impoverished families to earn a living as well as education and some
healthcare projects". Life-saving healthcare, it added, would continue.
"Islamic
Relief is calling on the Afghan authorities to immediately lift the ban on
female NGO workers," the organisation said.
"The
ban will have a devastating humanitarian impact on millions of vulnerable men,
women and children across the country. We are dismayed that this ruling comes
just a few days after increased restrictions on Afghan girls' access to
education."
Ramiz
Alakbarov, the United Nations' top humanitarian coordinator, said the UN was
trying to get the ban reversed and that it was a "red line for the entire
humanitarian community".
The
United Nations could stop humanitarian aid delivery in Afghanistan if the
Taliban authorities do not reverse their edict banning women aid workers, the
official told the BBC.
But
Mr Alakbarov said it was still unclear what the Taliban meant by its edict.
He
said the Taliban's minister of health had told the UN the agency should
continue its health-related work and women could "report to work and
discharge their services".
Other
ministries had also contacted the UN directly to say work in the areas of
disaster management and emergencies should continue, he added.
Jan
Egeland of the NRC said nearly 500 of the aid group's 1,400 workers were women,
and that female staff had been operating "according to all traditional
values, dress code, movement, [and] separation of offices".
He
said he hoped the decision would be "reversed in the next few days"
and warned that millions would suffer if NGOs' work was obstructed.
NGOs
also expressed concern about the effect the ban would have on jobs "in the
midst of an enormous economic crisis".
Female
Afghan NGO workers acting as the main earners in their household previously
told the BBC of their fear and helplessness following the ban.
One
asked: "If I cannot go to my job, who can support my family?" Another
breadwinner called the news "shocking" and insisted she had complied
with the Taliban's strict dress code.
The
ban triggered international outcry, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
warning it would "disrupt vital and life-saving assistance to
millions".
Since
seizing back control of the country last year, the Taliban have steadily
restricted women's rights - despite promising its rule would be softer than the
regime seen in the 1990s.
As
well as the bans on NGO workers and female university students - in the case of
students, now being enforced by armed guards - secondary schools for girls
remain closed in most provinces.
Women
have also been prevented from entering parks and gyms, among other public
places.
Source:
BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64090549
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Heba
Saadia, First Palestinian Referee To Take Part In FIFA Women’s World Cup
Heba Saadia/ (Photo: Wafa)
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December
26, 2022
RAMALLAH:
FIFA has chosen Palestinian international referee Heba Saadia to officiate the
Women’s World Cup matches in 2023, Palestine News and Information Agency
reported on Sunday.
Saadia
will be the first Palestinian referee to take part in a FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The
women’s football tournament, which will kick off from July to August in
Australia and New Zealand, is the first to be co-organized by two countries as
well as the first to include 32 teams.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2222071/sport
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Afghan women denounce Taliban’s ban on females working for NGOs
PARWIZ
KAROKHAIL
December
25, 2022
KABUL:
Afghan women spoke out against the latest severe blow to their rights under the
Taliban administration on Sunday, after authorities ordered all
non-governmental organizations to stop female employees from working.
The
order was issued by Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif on Saturday
evening. Any local or foreign organization found not complying would have their
operating license revoked in Afghanistan, according to the edict.
The
move comes less than a week since the Taliban banned women from attending
universities in Afghanistan, following a series of restrictions authorities
have imposed on women since the group took control of the country last year.
The
latest restriction drew widespread condemnation from international
organizations and foreign governments. This includes the EU — a major funder of
aid organizations working in Afghanistan — which said they are assessing the
impact it will have on aid from the bloc and described the ban as “a clear
breach of humanitarian principles.”
Afghan
women affected by the ban have denounced the move they say will affect the livelihoods
of many families across the nation, as they urged action from the international
community.
“I’m
personally so depressed as I’m the only breadwinner for my family,” Ramzia
Sayedi, who works at a foreign NGO in Kabul, told Arab News.
Sayedi
said she was turned away by her office on Sunday morning.
“We
were told to leave the office, and we were told that we can’t work here anymore
until the next order, because if anyone violated the order, she would be beaten
and taken to prison.”
Sakina
Hussaini, a women’s rights activist and employee of a foreign organization in
the capital, said the Taliban order was “inhumane.”
“I’m
the sole breadwinner of my family and many other women like me make a living
for their families,” Hussaini told Arab News.
“This
decision of the Taliban is inhumane and against the religion,” she added. “This
will have consequences, so I urge the international community to address this
problem.”
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ban “will disrupt vital and
life-saving assistance to millions,” highlighting that women are central to
humanitarian operations globally.
Some
women warned that Afghanistan would further deteriorate if the Taliban stopped
women from going to work and getting an education.
“Instead
of creating opportunities for work, the Taliban are removing current employment
opportunities. It’s a big crisis. Women must be allowed to go to work,” Shabana
Niazai, who works at a financial consultancy NGO, told Arab News.
She
called on the Taliban administration to “give women their rights, not to take
away their rights.”
Arzo
Yoya, who works with projects under the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan,
said women must be allowed to contribute to society.
“If
we do not work, we will be more economically disadvantaged. Our economic
problems will increase even more,” Yoya told Arab News. “It will be a big
disaster if women stay at home, don’t study, don’t work, don’t go to
university.
“We
want our rights and to raise our voices. No country has progressed without the
presence of women.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2221736/world
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West
Brom Women Forward Mariam Mahmood Holds Pakistan Talks As British-Pakistani
Trio Train In Lahore
Dev
Trehan
23
December 2022
West
Brom Women forward Mariam Mahmood has held talks with Pakistani officials about
playing for the national team, Sky Sports News understands.
Speaking
ahead of South Asian Heritage Month in her first interview with a major
platform, British-Pakistani Mahmood opened up to Sky Sports News about her love
for West Brom, where she has come through the ranks and established herself as
an important part of the first-team squad.
That
caught the attention of Pakistan scouts, who contacted West Brom Women about
Mahmood's availability to play for Pakistan directly off the back of the story.
The
teenager's sole focus at the time was to continue improving and developing as a
footballer, and Sky Sports News understands that position remains unchanged for
the time being.
Mahmood
is a talented former England Colleges international and is highly rated by West
Brom director of football Dave Lawrence and manager Jenny Sugarman.
Pakistan
Women returned to international action for the first time in eight years when
they played at the South Asian Football Federation Women's Championship (SAFF)
in Nepal in September.
Mahmood
has been playing the best football of her fledgling career, with the
18-year-old forward scoring six goals in West Brom's last five games before the
winter break.
One
of those goals came against Derby County at The Hawthorns last month, where
Mahmood became just the third West Brom Women's player ever to score at the
122-year-old stadium.
Fellow
British South Asian footballer Kira Rai was also on target in that game,
rounding off the scoring in a 3-1 win for the Ewe Rams.
Sikh-Punjabi
attacker Rai added her voice to calls for meaningful change to improve
diversity in the women's game in an interview with Sky Sports News in October.
Rai
told Sky Sports News: "It has to change - and hopefully that time is soon.
"I
think slowly we are breaking it down bit-by-bit, but I think a lot more work
needs to be put in at the elite level to make it a level playing field for
everyone involved.
"Until
you see a representation of all backgrounds within the elite level of sport and
football, the authorities are going to have to do more to get to that stage -
and even then you have to keep pushing.
"The
authorities need to do more, everybody needs to do more to make it more diverse
at every level of the game."
The
Football Association has been unable to provide any ethnicity data on diverse
representation within girls' and women's elite pathways when contacted by Sky
Sports News.
The
FA said its key aims are to provide greater access for more players while
diversifying the talent pool, pointing to its Discover My Talent initative and
referring Sky Sports News to its Asian Inclusion Strategy update and wider
Diversity and Inclusion strategy.
Khan,
Hanif and Malik join Pakistan training camp
Doncaster
Rovers Belles sensation Nadia Khan earned a maiden call-up for the SAFF
tournament and ended up making history after becoming the first woman ever to
score four goals in an international match for Pakistan, during her country's
win 7-0 against the Maldives.
Khan
is currently in Lahore for a Pakistan National Team training camp, where she
has been joined by fellow British-Pakistani players Amina Hanif and Zahmena
Malik.
Hanif
and Malik are attacking midfielders, with both linking up with Pakistan for the
first time, ahead of potentially being included in a four-nation tournament in
Saudi Arabia next month.
Hanif,
20, plays for Chesham United, and was a transfer target earlier this year for
former Harlow Town Ladies boss Ruudy Yusuf, who put her name forward for
consideration by Pakistan at international level.
Yusuf
told Sky Sports News: "Amina has quick feet, a high football IQ and a
genuine willingness to learn and get better. She has a great attitude and is
destined to do great things in the game if she keeps on doing the right
things."
Malik
combines playing for Women's National League Division One South East side
London Seaward with coaching for Bloomsbury Football, and celebrated her 21st
birthday while in Lahore earlier this week.
Yusuf
added: "Zahmena doesn't realise how good she is and is going from strength
to strength. She's playing at a good standard with a really good club under
some great coaches with strong values. Zahmena is another player who anything
is possible for if she can continue the trajectory."
Trailblazer
Mushtaq lands player award in Greece
Meanwhile,
British-Pakistani footballer Aqsa Mushtaq has been named Most Valuable Player
at the Panhellenic Professional Football Players Association Awards.
Mushtaq,
who hails from Bradford, has recently joined Crete-based Ergotelis after an
impressive debut campaign in the Greek top flight with Avantes Chalkida.
The
24-year-old is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University where she scored 13 goals
in 17 matches in her final season at the North Carolina-based college.
In
2019, Mushtaq was named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, helping
her secure a move to Napoli, where she became the first player of Pakistani
heritage ever to join a women's team playing in Italy's top division.
Diverse
ethnic under-representation has again become a major talking point in women's
football since the Lionesses fielded an all-white starting XI for every match
of their stunning Women's Euros triumph.
Sky
Sports recognised and began taking steps to address the lack of diversity in
the women's game back in 2020 as part of its £30m commitment to tackle systemic
racism and make a difference in communities across the UK.
Sky
Sports has worked with dozens of current and former players from diverse ethnic
backgrounds, and has tried to give them a platform to share their stories to
try and capture the imagination to inspire the next generation of female
footballers.
A
number of elite and elite-potential female players and their families have also
been supported with mentoring and access to off-field developmental
opportunities.
Earlier
this year, Sky Sports also partnered with the country's largest sports race
equality charity, Sporting Equals, which has seen us support participation
across the country, including devising the 'Seeing Is Believing' event for
century-old west London sports club Indian Gymkhana.
For
more stories, features and videos, visit our groundbreaking South Asians in
Football page on skysports.com and South Asians in the Game blog and stay tuned
to Sky Sports News and our Sky Sports digital platforms.
Source:
Sky Sports
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