Shafaq News/ The Afghan Taliban has declared the closure of allnational and foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that employ women,marking the latest crackdown on women's rights since the group assumed power inAugust 2021.
This announcement follows two years after the Taliban firstinstructed NGOs to suspend hiring Afghan women, citing improper adherence toIslamic hijab requirements, according to the Associated Press.
In a letter released on Sunday, the Ministry of Economy warned thatfailure to comply with the latest directive would result in NGOs losing theirlicenses to operate in Afghanistan.
The United Nations has noted that the space available for women inAfghanistan has significantly diminished over the past two years and hasreiterated its call for the Taliban to lift these restrictions. Florenceia SotoNiño Martínez, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN, stated, "This significantlyimpacts the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to all people inAfghanistan. We are deeply concerned, as we discuss a country where half thepopulation is deprived of their rights, living in poverty, and many, not justwomen, are facing a humanitarian crisis."
The Ministry of Economy, responsible for registering, coordinating,leading, and supervising all activities conducted by national and foreignorganizations, reaffirmed in the letter that all work by women in institutionsnot controlled by the Taliban must cease. It added, "In case ofnon-cooperation, all activities of that institution will be canceled, and itsoperating license granted by the ministry will be revoked."
This is the latest attempt by the Taliban to control or interferewith NGO activities. Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Councilheard that an increasing number of female Afghan humanitarian workers have beenprevented from performing their duties despite the ongoing necessity of reliefefforts.
According to Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for HumanitarianAffairs at the UN, there has been a rise in reports of Taliban "moralitypolice" halting both male and female staff members of humanitarianorganizations. The Taliban denies preventing aid agencies from conducting theirwork or interfering with their activities. However, they have already barredwomen from many jobs, most public places, and education beyond the sixth grade.
Furthermore, Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada orderedthat buildings should not have windows overlooking places where women might be.According to a four-point decree published on X on Saturday, this applies toboth new and existing buildings. The decree stated that windows should notoverlook areas like courtyards or kitchens, and if a window does, the personresponsible for the property must find a way to obscure the view by installinga wall or fence "to eliminate the harm." The decree furtherinstructed municipalities and other authorities to oversee the construction ofnew buildings to prevent the installation of windows overlooking or aboveresidential properties.
Immediate comments from the spokesperson for the Ministry of UrbanDevelopment and Housing on Akhundzada's instructions were not available. SotoNiño Martínez stated that the UN also urged the revocation ofthisrestriction.
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