In another move to crackdown on the freedom of women, the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan on Saturday banned female employees from working in any foreign and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as stated in the letter of the economy ministry.
Economy ministry’s spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib confirmed the letter in which it was stated that female employees are not permitted to work in NGOs until further notice because few employees have failed to adhere to the Islamic dress code for women, as interpreted by the Afghan administration.
There is no clarity on whether the order was also applicable to United Nations agencies, which are present in large numbers in Afghanistan.
This move to curb the freedom of Afghan women comes days after universities were ordered by the Taliban government to stop the entry of women.
The move was condemned globally and led to a few protests in Afghanistan. It was reported that water cannon was used by Taliban security forces to disperse Afghan women who were protesting against the ban imposed on university education.
In major cities, Afghan women held demonstrations, which was a rare visual of protest since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last year.
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Meanwhile, G7 foreign ministers had stated the way women are being treated in Afghanistan by the Taliban may amount to “a crime against humanity”, as they demanded that the ban imposed on women’s education be reversed.
“Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban,” the ministers had said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
