Afghan rulers urged to reverse ban on women aid workers
The vast majority of U.N. Security Council members are urging Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to immediately reverse all “oppressive” restrictions on girls and women UNITED NATIONS -- A strong majority of the U.N. Security Council urged Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers Friday to immediately reverse all “oppressive” restrictions on girls and women . The council then went into a closed meeting to discuss the Taliban’s latest ban on woman working for humanitarian groups, a move that is exacerbating the already critical humanitarian crisis in the country. The joint statement from 11 of the 15 council members said female aid workers are crucial to addressing Afghanistan’s “dire humanitarian situation” because they provide “critical life-saving support to women and girls” that men can’t reach. It reiterated the council’s demand for “unhindered access for humanitarian actors regardless of gender.” Britain’s U.N. ambassador, Barbara Woodward, tweeted that as of Thursday, “15% of NGOs had paused al...