News Center- Female UN staff members in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul have been threatened with death by armed men. A number of female UN staff members have been forced to stop working after being stalked and harassed by unidentified men.

According to three UN agencies in Afghanistan, the incidents took place in late May when their female staff members were followed home as they left a UN compound by a group of unidentified men.

The men threatened the women with death and their male family members. “Several United Nations female national [Afghan] staff members in the Afghan capital Kabul have been subjected to threats by unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN. The matter has been raised with the de facto authorities, who have said they are investigating these incidents,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told The Independent in a statement.

“In the light of these extremely serious threats, UN agencies, funds, and programmes in Afghanistan have made interim operational adjustments to ensure the safety and security of staff members, while continuing to strive to work in support of the people of Afghanistan,” UNAMA said.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has implemented similar protocols involving work from home. “On a number of recent occasions, female staff working for international organisations in Kabul have faced intimidation and threats from unidentified individuals warning them not to report to their offices. Out of an abundance of caution, WFP has advised female staff to temporarily work from home,” the agency said.

“WFP and its partners – including female staff – continue to reach tens of thousands of hungry families with food assistance, prioritising the most vulnerable women-headed families. Women continue to pick up their entitlements at distribution sites and last year, WFP reached nearly 10 million women and children across Afghanistan,” the agency told The Independent.

UN aid serves at least 23 million men, women and children out of the total population of about 40 million in Afghanistan. UN local female staff members have proved essential for international agencies to get aid to those in need.