Female Afghan health workers, educators urge release of aid

Female Afghan health workers, teachers and rights defenders are urging the international community to resume financial aid to Afghanistan, saying non-payment has disproportionally impacted women

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Female Afghan health workers, teachers and rights defenders Tuesday urged the international community to resume financial aid to Afghanistan, saying non-payment has disproportionally impacted women.

Aqela Noori, a teacher, said at a news conference in the capital Kabul that 120,000 female educators and nearly 14,000 female health care workers have not been paid their salaries for the past two to three months.

“We call on the international community, the World Bank and international humanitarian agencies not to suspend their humanitarian aid to Afghanistan,” she said. “Don’t leave Afghanistan alone in this difficult time.”

Since the Taliban overran Kabul on Aug. 15 and seized control of the country, the world has been watching to see whether they will re-create their harsh rule of the late 1990s.