New Delhi: The Taliban is at it, yet again. In another repressive move to curb freedom of women in Afghanistan, the Taliban has issued an order, stating that it will close down all national and foreign non-governmental organisations across the country that recruit and employ women.
Afghanistan’s Economy Ministry shared a letter on X, sounding a warning that if any NGO fails to adhere to the latest order, they would lose their license to carry out their operation in the country.
What the Ministry said
The Ministry said it was responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organisations. It added: “Therefore, once again, a follow-up circular has been issued to stop the work of female employees in national and foreign institutions. In case of non-cooperation, all activities of the offending institution will be suspended and the activity license they received from this ministry will be cancelled.”
وزارت اقتصاد منحیث مرجع ثبت و راجستر موسسات غیر امارتی، مسولیت انسجام، رهبری و نظارت تمامی فعالیت های انجو های داخلی و خارجی را به عهده دارد.
بناً یکبار دیگر طی متحدالمال تعقیبی در مورد توقف کار طبقه اناث در موسسات غیر امارتی داخلی و خارجی هدایت داده شده است. در صورت عدم همکاری… pic.twitter.com/kqiW7Re3an
— Ministry of Economy-Afghanistan (@economy_af) December 29, 2024
Two years back, according to a report by the Associated Press, the Taliban instructed NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, claiming it was due to their failure to wear the Islamic headscarf correctly.
It was three years back that the Taliban came back to power. Since then, Afghan women have been barred from almost every aspect of public life, including schools, universities, most workplaces, as well as parks and bathhouses. The Taliban have already excluded women from many jobs and most public spaces. They have also barred them from education beyond sixth grade.
In another development, the Taliban banned the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlooked areas used by Afghan women. Declaring the decision, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on X, “Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards, or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts.”
