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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Human Rights |
|---|---|
| located: | Afghanistan |
| editor: | Manija Mirzaie |
Millions in some of the poorest and most remote corners across Afghanistan, primarily women and children, will now have no access to the essential healthcare services they were being provided for decades by the European charity, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA).
After months of intense last-moment efforts to salvage these life-saving operations, the charity has surrendered to the country's de-facto hardliner Taliban regime to shut the doors of its health clinics and delivery of crucial aid. Before this devastating move, it had already suspended support to people with disabilities as well as education and rural development due to intimidation by the Taliban.
At the core of this is a decree from the Taliban's Islamic Emirate government, which called for the suspension of all "Sweden's activities" following the burning of copies of the Holy Quran in Sweden. The charity has again and again strongly condemned and distanced itself from these acts, stating that desecration of the Holy Quran is an insult to all Muslims around the world who hold this sacred text dear to their hearts, and it constitutes a flagrant attack on the Islamic faith.
In a statement, the SCA says that due to its name, it has been mistakenly perceived as a representative of Sweden despite it being an impartial organisation with no links to the Swedish government or any other government.
"We are extremely saddened by the current situation and the effects our suspension will have on the millions of people who have benefitted from our services over the past four decades," The organisation continues.
The scale of devastation will be immense. The charity had some 7,000 Afghan employees across 16 provinces, many of whom are the sole breadwinners of their families, and if they lose their jobs, thousands of families will suffer.
On an average basis, 2.5 million patients visit clinics and hospitals run by the charity on an annual basis, including acutely malnourished children, people with disabilities, students and the poor needing support.
The pause comes at a time at a time when Afghanistan under the Taliban is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by a suffering banking system under international sanctions and infrequent aid delivery.
Under these circumstances, the SCA was a lifeline operating across 14 provinces to provide health and education.
This unfolding situation is a terrible example of how political meddling in crucial humanitarian affairs poses a direct threat to the lives of the most vulnerable.
The solution to this dilemma can be drawn from the Geneva Convention, which Afghanistan is a signatory of. Instead of leaving individual charities like the SCA to fight for their survival alone in the murky terrain across Afghanistan, the international community and the humanitarian world can adopt a unified stance on keeping politics out of services to humanity.
Although the Taliban are in control of Afghanistan, no state officially recognises their rule. However, they are accessing various humanitarian services without any political obligations. On the occasion of World Health Day on April 7th, it is vital to urge the Taliban to abide by the Geneva Convention and allow humanitarian organisations to work freely without fear of retribution.
Image by 12019.
