Taliban Warns Aid Workers: No Photos of Women Allowed

Kokcha News Agency – The Taliban’s Justice Department in Nangarhar province has issued a directive to all charitable and aid organizations, instructing them to avoid photographing women while distributing aid to earthquake victims in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban claims that photographing women could provoke public sensitivities and is against Islamic and Afghan values.

The directive, published by the Taliban’s media office in Nangarhar, emphasizes that aid organizations must respect Islamic and Afghan values and avoid actions that could incite public sensitivities. While the Taliban has thanked aid organizations for their timely assistance to earthquake victims, the restrictions have raised concerns about the effectiveness of aid delivery, particularly for women.

The earthquake, which struck eastern Afghanistan, has affected nearly half a million people, with women and girls being the most impacted. Reports indicate that the lack of female healthcare workers in the affected areas has created significant challenges for treating injured women. The Taliban’s strict gender segregation policies have further complicated aid efforts, leading to delays in providing critical medical care to women.

The Taliban has also imposed restrictions on women working in UN agencies and aid organizations, exacerbating the shortage of female healthcare workers in the region.