According to a letter from the economy ministry, the Taliban-run government in Afghanistan has ordered all national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGO) to prevent female employees from reporting for duty. This is the latest restriction on women’s rights.
The letter, which was confirmed by Abdulrahman Habib, a spokesman for the economy ministry, on Saturday, stated that some of the female employees were not in compliance with the administration’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women and were therefore prohibited from working until further notice.
Any NGO found to be disobeying the injunction would have their operating permit in Afghanistan removed, according to the letter.
Days earlier, the Taliban-led government had ordered that universities be closed to women. This decision was roundly condemned around the world and met with protests and harsh criticism domestically.
The order’s potential impact on United Nations organizations, which are heavily represented in Afghanistan and provide assistance in the midst of the country’s humanitarian crisis, was not immediately obvious.
Habib responded that the letter applied to organizations under Afghanistan’s coordinating body for humanitarian organizations, known as ACBAR, when questioned if the regulations applied to UN agencies. More than 180 national and international NGOs are a part of that organization, but not the United Nations.
To carry out its humanitarian mission, the UN frequently hires NGOs with offices in Afghanistan.
The letter was a “clear violation of humanitarian norms,” according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s deputy special envoy for Afghanistan and humanitarian coordinator, who expressed his “grave concern” about the reports.
The Taliban and members of civil society met for talks in January at a venue hosted by Norway, which funds aid in Afghanistan. The charge d’affaires for Norway denounced the action.
Paul Klouman Bekken tweeted, “The ban on female employees in NGOs must be lifted immediately. “This action will damage the most vulnerable Afghans and worsen the humanitarian crisis, in addition to being a blow to women’s rights.”
The Taliban’s prohibition was also denounced by the European Union, which also stated that it was evaluating how it might affect its aid to the nation.
According to a spokesperson for EU foreign policy leader Josep Borrell, “the European Union strongly opposes the Taliban’s recent decision to restrict women from working in national and international NGOs.”
On Saturday, ladies protesting the Taliban’s prohibition on women attending universities were dispersed by water cannons, according to witnesses.
Afghan women have protested the ban in major towns since the announcement on Tuesday, a rare instance of internal unrest since the Taliban took over last year.
About a dozen women were reportedly traveling to the provincial governor’s residence on Saturday to protest the prohibition while screaming, “Education is our right,” when they were repelled by security personnel using water cannons, according to witnesses in the western city of Herat.
Between 100 and 150 women, who came from various sections of the city and congregated at the demonstration’s focal point in small groups, according to Maryam, one of the protest organizers. She hid her last name out of concern for negative repercussions.
Armoured trucks, armed soldiers, and security were present in every square and street, she claimed. “The Taliban hit us when we first began our demonstration in Tariqi Park by taking branches from the trees. But we persisted in our objection. They stepped up their security coverage. They deployed the water cannon at 11 a.m. [06:30 GMT].
There were barely four or five demonstrators, according to Hamidullah Mutawakil, a spokesman for the regional governor. They simply came here to make a movie, he claimed, adding that they had no objective.
The university ban has received widespread international condemnation, including from Muslim-majority nations like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. The United States and the G7 group of major industrial nations have also issued warnings that the policy will have repercussions for the Taliban.
Nida Mohammad Nadim, Minister of Higher Education for the Taliban, made the first mention of the prohibition on Thursday in an interview with Afghan state media. He claimed that the ban was necessary to stop the mixing of the sexes at colleges and because he thought certain of the courses being taught went against Islamic beliefs.
He declared that the suspension will last until further notice.
Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban has widely enforced its vision of Islamic law, while initially pledging a more moderate system that respected the rights of minorities and women.
In addition, it has prohibited women from working in the majority of professions, required them to cover their entire body in public, and prohibited them from using gyms and parks.
Numerous Afghan refugee students protested against the prohibition on female higher education in their country on Saturday and urged the rapid reopening of campuses for women in Quetta, in southwest Pakistan.
