The Taliban have said they will shut down all domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan that employ women. Two years ago, they asked NGOs to suspend employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they did not wear Islamic headscarves correctly.
In a letter published on Sunday evening, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would result in NGOs losing their licenses to operate in Afghanistan.
The ministry said it is responsible for registering, coordinating, directing and supervising all activities carried out by domestic and foreign organizations.
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The government once again ordered the suspension of all women’s jobs in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, the letter said.
“If there is no cooperation, all activities of the institution will be cancelled, and the institution’s activity license granted by the ministry will also be cancelled.”
This is the latest attempt by the Taliban to control or interfere with the activities of non-governmental organizations.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that while relief efforts remain critical, a growing number of female humanitarian workers in Afghanistan are unable to carry out their work.
Senior U.N. official Tom Fletcher said there had also been an increase in the proportion of humanitarian organizations reporting that their female or male staff had been stopped by Taliban moral police.
The Taliban deny they are preventing aid agencies from doing their work or interfering with their activities.
They have banned women from many jobs and most public places, as well as from education beyond sixth grade.
In another development, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered that windows in buildings should not look into areas where women might sit or stand.
The order applies to both new construction and existing buildings, according to a four-clause decree issued late Saturday.
Windows should not overlook or see into areas such as the yard or kitchen. If a window has a view into such a space, then the person responsible for the property must find a way to block this view to “eliminate the harm”, by installing a wall, fence or screen.
The decree adds that municipalities and other authorities must supervise the construction of new buildings to avoid installing windows with views over residential properties or dwellings.
