Afghanistan.. The Taliban government prevents women from working in non-governmental organizations

The Taliban government’s economy ministry announced it was banning Afghan women from working in local and international NGOs after “complaints” over their failure to comply with the imposed dress code.

“Serious complaints have been received regarding non-compliance with the Islamic veil and other rules and regulations related to the work of women in local and international organizations,” said the ministry responsible for approving licenses for NGOs operating in Afghanistan.

A ministry spokesman confirmed that this had been directed at NGOs.

The ministry added in its letter that “in case of careless driving (…) the organization’s license will be revoked.”

It is not yet clear whether this applies to UN agencies that have a large presence in Afghanistan.

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

And the Minister of Higher Education, Nada Mohamed Nadeem, justified the decision by not adhering to the directives on the use of the headscarf.

Despite their promises to adopt more flexible policies, the Taliban have reverted to some of the practices that characterized their first period in power (1996-2001).

Since his return to power in August 2021, severe measures have increased, especially against women, who are progressively excluded from public life.