The Taliban government has escalated its restrictions on women’s rights by ordering the closure of all NGOs that employ women, both national and foreign, threatening a critical blow to humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
The latest directive, announced by the Economy Ministry on Sunday night, warns organisations they will lose their operating licenses if they fail to comply. This expands on a previous ban from two years ago that suspended Afghan women’s employment in NGOs, allegedly for incorrect Islamic headscarf wear.
The move comes amid growing concerns about humanitarian access in the country. Earlier this month, the UN Security Council reported an increasing number of female aid workers being prevented from performing their duties, despite the essential nature of relief work in Afghanistan.
Senior UN official Tom Fletcher has noted a rise in incidents where both female and male humanitarian staff face interference from the Taliban’s morality police. However, Taliban officials deny impeding aid operations.
This latest restriction adds to the Taliban’s systematic dismantling of women’s rights since taking power, having already banned women from most jobs, public spaces, and education beyond sixth grade. The Economy Ministry, which oversees all NGO activities in Afghanistan, emphasised its authority over the “registration, coordination, leadership, and supervision” of both national and foreign organisations.
For humanitarian organisations operating in Afghanistan, where many programmes specifically require female staff to reach women beneficiaries, the new ban poses a severe challenge to continuing their operations.
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