The Taliban-controlled government of Afghanistan has instructed all local and foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to stop allowing women to go to work.
The announcement, which came in a letter from the Economy Ministry and confirmed by spokesman Abdulrahman Habib, said the female employees were not allowed to work until further notice because some had not adhered to the government’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women.
Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan and humanitarian coordinator, said he was “deeply concerned” by the letter’s reports that it was a “clear violation of humanitarian principles.”
It was not immediately clear how the order would affect UN agencies, which have a large presence in Afghanistan providing services amid the country’s humanitarian crisis.
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Afghan women chant and hold signs to protest during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March 26, 2022.
(AP Photo/Mohammed Shoaib Amin)
The UN office for humanitarian affairs said the United Nations would try to meet with Taliban leaders to “get clarity on the reported order.”
Afghanistan’s already struggling economy has been in crisis since the Taliban seized power in 2021, and the country faces sanctions and cuts in development aid.
Humanitarian aid, intended to meet urgent needs, has provided a lifeline to millions of people. More than half of Afghanistan’s population depends on humanitarian aid, according to the International Rescue Committee.
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Taliban hold a military parade with equipment captured from the US Army in Kandahar, Afghanistan
(Photo by Murteza Khaliqi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The announcement comes days after the Taliban stopped allowing women attending universities despite previously assuring the international community that women could pursue higher education.
Since the collapse of the US-backed Afghan government in 2021, the Taliban have suppressed women’s rights. Girls have been barred from attending middle and high school, women have been restricted from most jobs and must wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women are also prohibited from entering parks and gyms.
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A Taliban security personnel stands guard at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at Spin Boldak on December 12, 2022.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Elizabeth Heckman of Fox News and Reuters contributed to this report
