The Taliban say they will shut down all national and foreign non-governmental groups in Afghanistan that employ women. It comes two years after they ordered NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly for not wearing the Islamic headscarf properly.
In a letter published on Sunday evening X, the Ministry of Economy warned that failure to comply with the latest order would result in NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan.
The ministry says it is responsible for the registration, coordination, direction and supervision of all activities of domestic and foreign organizations.
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According to the letter, the government has again ordered a halt to all women's work in institutions not under Taliban control.
“In the absence of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be canceled and the activity permit of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also lapse.”
It is the latest attempt by the Taliban to control or interfere with the activities of NGOs.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that an increasing proportion of female Afghan humanitarian workers were being prevented from doing their work, even as aid remains essential.
The proportion of humanitarian organizations reporting that their female or male staff have been stopped by Taliban morality police has also increased, according to Tom Fletcher, a senior UN official.
The Taliban deny preventing aid organizations from carrying out their work or interfering with their activities.
They have already excluded women from many jobs and most public spaces, as well as excluding them from education beyond the sixth grade.
In another development, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered that buildings should not have windows facing areas where a woman might sit or stand.
According to a four-clause decree posted late on Saturday on X, the decision applies to both new buildings and existing ones.
Windows should not provide a view of areas such as gardens or kitchens. When a window overlooks such a space, the person in charge of that property must find a way to obscure this view to “eliminate damage” by installing a wall, fence or screen.
Municipalities and other authorities must monitor the construction of new buildings to prevent the installation of windows that look into or over homes, the decision said.
