Humanitarian ethics are once again up-in-the-air
when it comes to Afghanistan. New ways to harm women and girls—relentless
misogyny and virulent attacks on human rights—have left humanitarians
compromised and increasingly complicit in action.Aid agencies must now renew efforts for principled engagement and put
non-cooperation back on the access-negotiating table—failure risks
humanitarians perpetuating the most extreme forms of gender-based
discrimination through itsmorally inadequate
view of gender persecution.
References
[1]
ACAPS (2023). Afghanistan: Update on Taliban Decrees and Directives Affecting the Humanitarian Response. ACAPS Analysis Hub.
https://www.acaps.org/fileadmin/Data_Product/Main_media/20231201_ACAPS_Afghanistan_analysis_hub_Update_on_Taliban_decrees_and_directives.pdf
[2]
Anderson, M. (1999). Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace—or War. Lynee Riener Publishers.
[3]
Barnett, M., & Weiss, T. (Eds.). (2008). Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power and Ethics. Cornell University Press.
[4]
Clark, K. (2023). Bans on Women Working, Then and Now. Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN).
https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/economy-development-environment/bans-on-women-working-then-and-now-the-dilemmas-of-delivering-humanitarian-aid-during-the-first-and-second-islamic-emirates/
[5]
Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) (2023). Fourth Snapshot: Tracking Impact Report on the Ban on Women Working with NGOs and INGOs in Afghanistan. Humanitarian Access Working Group.
https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/humanitarian-access-working-group-tracking-impact-report-recent-ban-women-working-ngos-and-ingos-afghanistan-fourth-snapshot-march-2023
[6]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) (2021). Afghanistan: Taliban Blocking Female Aid Workers.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/11/04/afghanistan-taliban-blocking-female-aid-workers
[7]
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2022). Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Afghanistan: Women’s Participation in Aid Delivery Must Continue.
https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-afghanistan-womens-participation-aid-delivery
[8]
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) (2023). IASC Guiding Principles and Donor Expectations Following the Ban on Female NGO Workers in Afghanistan.
[9]
International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) (2022). Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Multifaceted Challenges of Responders Dealing with Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis.
https://www.icvanetwork.org/uploads/2022/03/Final-ICVA-Report-AFG-v2.pdf
[10]
Lang, H. (2022). Fit for Purpose: Getting aid Right in Afghanistan on Year after the Taliban Takeover. Refugees International.
https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/fit-for-purpose-getting-humanitarian-aid-right-in-afghanistan-one-year-after-the-taliban-takeover/
[11]
Slim, H. (2015). Humanitarian Ethics: A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster. Hurst Publishers.
[12]
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) (2023). Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan—Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan and the Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5321-situation-women-and-girls-afghanistan-report-special-rapporteur
[13]
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) (2023). Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan Afghanistan.
https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2024-december-2023#:~:text=The%202024%20humanitarian%20response%20in,and%20hygiene%20(WASH)%20needs
[14]
United Nations Women (UN Women) (2022). Statement: The Decree Barring Women in Afghanistan from Working in Non-Governmental Organizations Is Yet Another Stark Violation of Women’s Rights.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2022/12/statement-the-decree-barring-women-in-afghanistan-from-working-in-non-governmental-organizations-is-yet-another-stark-violation-of-womens-rights
