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The Taliban say they will include all national and foreign non-governmental groups Afghanistan women in service. It comes two years after they told NGOs to stop the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they did not wear the Islamic headscarf properly.
In a letter published on X Sunday evening, the Ministry of Economy warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan.
The ministry said it was responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organizations.
The government again ordered the cessation of all women’s work in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter.
“In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be canceled and the activity license of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be cancelled.”
It is the latest attempt by the Taliban to control or intervene in NGO activity.
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Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that an increasing proportion of female Afghan humanitarian workers were being prevented from doing their work, even as aid remains vital.
According to Tom Fletcher, a senior UN official, the proportion of humanitarian organizations reporting that their female or male staff were stopped by the Taliban’s morality police has also increased.
The Taliban deny that they are stopping aid agencies from carrying out their work or interfering with their activities.
They have already excluded women from many jobs and most public spaces, as well as excluded them from education beyond the sixth form.
In another development, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered that buildings should not have windows facing places where a woman can sit or stand.
According to a decree of four clauses posted on X late Saturday, the order applies to new buildings as well as existing ones.
Windows should not overlook or look into areas such as yards or kitchens. Where a window looks into such a space, the person responsible for that property must find a way to hide this view to “remove damage”, by installing a wall, fence or screen.
Municipalities and other authorities must supervise the construction of new buildings to avoid installing windows that look towards or over residential buildings, the decree added.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing was not immediately available for comment on Akhundzada’s instructions.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
