The Economy Ministry cited “serious complaints” that women working in NGOs were not adhering to an appropriate dress code.
A new restriction of women’s rights in Afghanistan. Taliban authorities have ordered national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to stop working with women after “serious complaints” that they did not follow an appropriate dress code, the ministry of peace told AFP on Saturday. ‘Economy.
“There have been serious complaints about non-compliance with the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations relating to women’s work in national and international organizations,” said the ministry, which is responsible for approving licenses of NGOs operating in Afghanistan, in a letter obtained by AFP.
A ministry spokesman confirmed that the Economy Ministry sent the order to the NGOs.
“In case of neglect of the directive (…) the license of the organization which was issued by this ministry will be canceled”, specifies the mail.
What impact on UN agencies?
The impact of this decision on United Nations agencies, which are very present in Afghanistan in the context of the humanitarian crisis, was not immediately known.
Asked about the rules that applied to UN agencies, Economy Ministry spokesman Abdulrahman Habib said the letter was
for organizations under the Afghan Coordination Body for Humanitarian Organizations, known as ACBAR. This organization does not include the United Nations, but brings together more than 180 local and international NGOs.
However, the UN often contracts with NGOs registered in Afghanistan to carry out its missions. For aid workers, these workers are essential to ensuring that women in Afghanistan can access their aid.
Women banned from universities
The announcement comes just four days after the Taliban government decided to ban Afghan women from attending public and private universities in the country for an indefinite period.
The Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, explained in a television interview that he took this decision because “students who went to university (…) did not respect the instructions on the hijab”.
“The hijab is obligatory in Islam,” he insisted, referring to the requirement for women in Afghanistan to cover their faces and their entire bodies.
Despite their promises to be more flexible, the Taliban have returned to the ultra-rigorous interpretation of Islam that marked their first spell in power (1996-2001).
Since their return to power in August 2021, draconian measures have multiplied, in particular against women who have been gradually excluded from public life and excluded from colleges and high schools.
