“The Taliban’s goal is to make women disappear from the public eye,” says Stefan Recker, who was recently banned from studying.
The head of Caritas International’s Kabul office, Stefan Recker, currently sees no chance of lifting the drastic restrictions on women’s freedom in Afghanistan. “The situation for women is dramatic,” he told the German Catholic News Agency (KNA) on Wednesday.
“The Taliban’s goal is to make women disappear from the public eye. Perhaps things will change at some point, when the last Taliban realize that the health system will collapse if there are no doctors and nurses,” says Recker. More recently, Islamic fundamentalist rulers have banned women from studying. They are also only allowed to attend schools up to seventh grade. There is a ban on working in many areas. Women can only go out in public with a male partner.
Expect controls at all times
Recker explained that women in Kabul would have to expect appropriate checks at any time. Heavily armed military units are in front of the universities to stop any protests against the university ban.
According to Recker, the ban on employing women in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) announced on Christmas Eve could be overcome in the medium term. “A bridge could be for NGOs to formally commit to complying with Islamic dress codes and strict separation between women and men.”
However, the ban only applies to NGOs. State actors and the United Nations can continue their work. There is still much that can be done in the area of health. “Three Caritas projects for leprosy relief, prosthetic fitting and maternal and child health are still running here – with doctors employed by partner organisations.”
Half of Afghans at risk of starvation
Caritas Germany has been involved in Afghanistan since 1984, one of the poorest countries in the world. There is a Caritas office in Kabul that coordinates the various national projects. Afghan officials work locally – mostly through local partner organizations. In addition to emergency humanitarian aid, Caritas Germany is also involved in the health sector. Recker has worked in Afghanistan since the 1990s.
According to the UN, about half of the estimated 40 million Afghans are threatened with starvation. About three million people fled within the country. It is estimated that three million children under five are malnourished.
(APA)