The Taliban say they will close all national and foreign non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan that employ women. It comes two years after they told NGOs to stop hiring Afghan women, because they don’t wear Islamic headscarves properly.
In a letter published by X on Sunday night, the Ministry of Economy warned that failure to comply with the latest order will result in NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan.
This department is in charge of registering, coordinating, paying and supervising all the activities of foreign organizations.
The government also ordered a halt to all women’s jobs in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter.
“If there is a dispute, all the activities of that center will be canceled and the operating license of that center, given by the minister, will be canceled.”
The latest attempt by the Taliban to control or intervene in the work of an NGO.
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that an increasing number of Afghan women aid workers have been banned from doing their work even though the aid work is still vital.
According to Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top official, the number of humanitarian organizations reporting that their female or male staff have been stopped by the Taliban’s moral police has also increased.
The Taliban deny that they are preventing aid organizations from doing their work or interfering with their work.
They have already barred women from many jobs and public spaces, and excluded them from education beyond the sixth grade.
In another development, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered that buildings should not have windows facing areas where a woman could sit or stand.
According to the four-pronged ordinance sent by X late Saturday, the order applies to new and existing buildings.
Windows should not overlook or face areas such as yards or kitchens. When a window faces such an area then the person responsible for that area must find a way to hide this view to “remove the damage,” by installing a wall, fence or screen.
Municipalities and other authorities must direct the construction of new buildings to avoid installing windows that look into or over residential areas, the law added.
A spokesperson for the Department of Urban Development and Housing could not be reached for comment on Akhundzada’s orders.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
