Afghan women UN staff forced to work from home after threats

05-06-2025

UNAMA confirmed that UN staff had been threatened'Several United Nations female national staff members in the Afghan capital Kabul have been subjected to threats,' it saidKABUL: Afghan women working for the United Nations in Kabul have been threatened by unidentified men because of their jobs, the organization and several women told AFP on Thursday.Multiple women working for various UN agencies told AFP on condition of anonymity they had been threatened on the street and over the phone by men warning them to 'stay home.'UN staffer Huda — not her real name — said that for weeks she has been bombarded with messages abusing her for 'working with foreigners.''The messages keep coming and they are always harassing us... saying, 'Don't let me see you again, or else',' the young woman told AFP.She said her office had advised her to work from home until further notice.The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that UN staff had been threatened.'Several United Nations female national staff members in the Afghan capital Kabul have been subjected to threats by unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN,' it said in a statement.Considering the threats 'extremely serious,' the UN has taken 'interim' measures 'to ensure the safety and security of staff members,' it added.The Taliban government, accused by the UN of imposing a 'gender apartheid' against women since returning to power in 2021, has denied any involvement.Interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said such threats were a 'crime' and that police would take action.UNAMA said the authorities had opened an investigation.Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban authorities have severely restricted Afghan women from working and it is the only country in the world where women are banned from education beyond primary school.The government in 2022 banned women from working for domestic and international NGOs, which was extended to include the UN's offices in the country the following year.The policy has some exceptions including for women working in health care and education, and has not been consistently enforced.The UN has previously called the policy 'deeply discriminatory.'Selsela, in her 30s, said while returning from the office last week she was approached by unknown men who told her she should be 'ashamed' and that she must 'stay home.''They said, 'We told you nicely this time, but next time you'll have another thing coming',' she told AFP.'I was very scared,' she said, explaining how she struggles to work efficiently from home in a country where electricity and Internet are unreliable.'The situation for women is getting worse every day.'Another woman, Rahila, said she and two other women colleagues were stopped by men while traveling home in a UN vehicle and told not to go to the office anymore.'They said, 'Don't you know that you are not allowed?',' Rahila said, adding that she has also received threatening messages from unknown numbers.'I am very worried, I need my job and my salary,' she said.Three-quarters of Afghanistan's population of some 45 million people struggle to meet their daily needs, according to the UN, with the country facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

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North Korea says South Korea's overtures ‘great miscalculation'

Arab News

3 hours ago

Arab News

North Korea says South Korea's overtures ‘great miscalculation'

SEOUL: North Korea has no interest in any policy or proposals for reconciliation from South Korea, the powerful sister of its leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday in the first response to South Korean liberal President Lee Jae Myung's peace overtures. Kim Yo Jong, who is a senior North Korean ruling party official and is believed to speak for the country's leader, said Lee's pledge of commitment to South Korea-US security alliance shows he is no different from his hostile predecessor. 'If South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of (its actions) with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that,' Kim said in comments carried by official KCNA news agency. Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called after the removal of hard-line conservative Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed attempt at martial law, has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang that had reached the worst level in years. As gestures aimed at easing tensions, Lee suspended loudspeaker broadcasts blasting anti-North propaganda across the border and banned the flying of leaflets by activists that had angered Pyongyang. Kim, the North Korean official, said those moves are merely a reversal of ill-intentioned activities by South Korea that should never have been initiated in the first place. 'In other words, it's not even something worth our assessment,' she said. 'We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested, and we will not be sitting down with South Korea and there is nothing to discuss.' There has been cautious optimism in the South that the North may respond positively and may even show willingness to re-engage in dialogue, particularly after Pyongyang also shut off its loudspeakers, a move Lee said was quicker than expected. Still, Lee, whose government is in the midst of tough negotiations with Washington to avert punishing tariffs that President Donald Trump has threatened against a string of major trading partners, has said US alliance is the pillar of South Korea's diplomacy. 'Through efforts in the areas of politics, economic security and culture, we will strengthen the South Korea-US alliance that was sealed in blood,' Lee said in remarks commemorating the anniversary of the Korean War armistice on Sunday. North Korea also marked the anniversary which it calls victory day with events including a parade in Pyongyang, although state media reports indicated it was at a relatively lesser scale compared to some previous years. The two Koreas, the United States and China, which are the main belligerents in the 1950-53 Korean War, have not signed a peace treaty.

Powerful sister of north korean leader kim rejects south korea's appeasement overture

Al Arabiya

4 hours ago

Al Arabiya

Powerful sister of north korean leader kim rejects south korea's appeasement overture

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Chinese firm eyes investment in Pakistan's ICT, new energy sectors — ministry

Arab News

10 hours ago

Arab News

Chinese firm eyes investment in Pakistan's ICT, new energy sectors — ministry

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