Afghan Taliban ban women from working in NGOs

KABUL: Taliban rulers ordered all national and international NGOs to stop their women employees from working after “serious complaints” about their dress code, the ministry of economy told AFP on Saturday.

The order threatened to suspend the operating licences of NGOs that fail to implement the directive. The latest restriction comes less than a week after Taliban authorities banned women from attending universities, prompting global outrage and protests. While Taliban had promised a softer form of rule when they returned to power in August last year, they have instead imposed harsh restrictions on women, effectively squeezing them out of public life.

“There have been serious complaints regarding the non-observance of hijab and other rules and regulations pertaining to the work of females in national and international organisations,” said a notification sent to all NGOs, a copy of which was obtained by AFP and confirmed by a spokesman for the ministry of economy.

“The ministry of economy ... instructs all organisations to stop females working until further notice,” the notification said. “In case of negligence of the above directive, the licence of the organisation, which has been issued by this ministry, will be cancelled,” it added.

Two international NGOs confirmed that they had received the notification. “We are suspending all our activities from Sunday,” a top official at an international NGO involved in humanitarian work told AFP on condition of anonymity. “We will soon have a meeting with top officials of all NGOs to decide how to handle this issue.”