Source: MakeLemonade.nz
Tāmaki Makaurau – Today is World Humanitarian Day and the Kiwi charity sector is calling on government to support local Afghan staff working for aid charities.
While the troops may have left, aid workers remain. They are locally engaged staff who work for or with the support of New Zealand aid charities.
They make sure girls are educated, provide health services, or work with communities to protect the most vulnerable. They urgently need our support, with increased donations and grants.
In some cases, aid staff and their families need to get out if their lives are in danger, especially in the cases of women working for aid agencies.
New Zealand should help provide routes of safety out of Afghanistan, not just for staff who worked with the New Zealand Defence Force, police or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but people who have worked for NZ aid charities.
The Taliban, which has taken over the capital Kabul, has promised safe passage for people wishing to reach the airport. But there have been reports of people being beaten and whipped for trying to break Taliban checkpoints on the road to the airport.
The UN human rights council is concerned about serious human rights concerns after the Taliban takeover. The council’s Geneva forum will convene on August 25 at the request of Pakistan and nearly 90 other countries supporting the move.
A New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft is heading to Afghanistan to assist with the international evacuation efforts, including New Zealanders. The contingent will include air crew and maintenance staff, a medical team, operational support staff, logistics personnel and force protection.
New Zealand has had a long-standing relationship with the people of Afghanistan, particularly in Bamyan province.
Community Law Centres of Aotearoa has called on the government to evacuate a wider group of those stranded in Afghanistan with connections to New Zealand to save lives.
The centres say New Zealand is lagging behind other countries in responding to the worsening crisis on humanitarian grounds.
