The Taliban banned women from working for any NGO in Afghanistan

The Taliban government of Afghanistan ordered this Saturday non-governmental organizations (NGOs) stop hiring women because they didn’t follow the proper dress code, the same argument that he had expelled women from the nation’s universities four days earlier.

“Serious complaints have been received about non-compliance with the wearing of the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations regarding the work of women in national and international organizations,” reads a notice sent to all NGOs.

The representative of the Ministry of Economy confirmed that the ministry sent an order NGOs.

“In case of non-compliance with the directive (…), the organization’s license issued by this ministry will be canceled,” the notice states.

Two NGOs foreigners he spoke to AFP They confirmed that they had received a statement from the ministry.

“As of Sunday, we are suspending all our activities,” said a senior official from an international organization that conducts humanitarian actions in various remote areas of the country, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Soon we will have a meeting of directives from all NGOs to decide how to solve this problem,” he added.

Dozens NGOs citizens and foreigners work in several sectors in remote areas Afghanistanand most of its staff are women.

This announcement came just four days after the government Taliban decided indefinitely to ban Afghan women from attending public and private universities in the country.

Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem explained in a TV interview that he made this decision because “female students going to the university (…) did not follow the instructions for wearing the hijab.”

“The hijab is obligatory in Islam,” she insisted, referring to the fact that women in Afghanistan they should cover the face and the whole body. According to him, girls who studied in a province far from home “also did not travel with a mahram, an adult male companion.”

a rare manifestation of men

On Saturday, about 400 students from Kandahar, the cradle of the fundamentalist Islamist movement, boycotted the exam in solidarity with the students and staged a demonstration that was dispersed by the Taliban, who fired into the air, Mirwais University professor Nika told AFP.

This new assault on women’s rights is shocking many young Afghans who have already been expelled from high schools and has drawn international condemnation.

Despite their promises to be more flexible, Taliban They returned to their strict interpretation of Islam, which marked their first period in power between 1996 and 2001.

Since his return to power in August 2021, the number of measures against freedoms has increased, mainly against women, who have been gradually excluded from public life and educational centers.

March 23 Taliban High schools unexpectedly closed just hours after the expected reopening.

Several government officials said there was a shortage of teachers or money, but also that schools would reopen as soon as the Islamic study program was in place.

In addition to being deprived of education, women are also prohibited from holding public office or receiving pennies for staying at home.

They are also prohibited from traveling unaccompanied by a male relative and must wear a veil or hijab when leaving their homes.

In November Taliban they were also prohibited from entering parks, gardens, gyms and public baths. (According to AFP)

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Fernando Carvallo selects information and shares his vision of national and international news. sign to our Las cosas newsletter, as they should be reading your daily columns.