The Taliban will shut down all NGOs that employ Afghan women
The Taliban say they will shut down all national and foreign non-governmental groups in Afghanistan that employ women. This comes two years after they told NGOs to stop Afghan women because they were not wearing the Islamic hijab properly.
In a letter published on Sunday night, the Ministry of Economy warned that non-compliance with the latest order will cause NGOs to lose their license to operate in Afghanistan.
The Ministry stated that it is responsible for the registration, coordination, management and control of all activities carried out by national and foreign organizations.
The letter states that the government is once again ordering the termination of all women’s employment in non-Taliban controlled establishments.
“If there is no cooperation, all the activities of that institution will be canceled and the activity license of that institution issued by the ministry will also be canceled.”
This is the latest attempt by the Taliban to control or interfere with NGO activities.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that a growing proportion of female Afghan aid workers are being prevented from doing their jobs, even as aid work remains vital.
The Taliban denies interfering with aid agencies
According to Tom Fletcher, a senior UN official, the proportion of humanitarian organizations reporting that their female or male staff have been stopped by the Taliban’s morality police has also increased.
The Taliban deny that they have stopped aid agencies from carrying out their work or interfered with their activities.
They have already banned women from many jobs and public spaces, and have excluded them from education beyond the sixth grade.
CBC’s Susan Ormiston talks to three Afghan immigrants living in Canada about the changes they’ve seen in Afghanistan and the impact on women and girls there three years after the US withdrawal.
In another incident, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered that buildings should not have windows facing areas where women could sit or stand.
According to the four-point decree published on Saturday evening, the order applies to existing buildings as well as new ones.
Windows should not overlook or overlook areas such as the yard or kitchen. Where a window overlooks such a space, the person in charge of the property must find a way to hide this view by installing a wall, fence or screen to “remove the damage”.
According to the decree, municipalities and other authorities must monitor the construction of new buildings to prevent the installation of windows overlooking residential properties.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing could not immediately comment on Akhundzadeh’s instruction.
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