Taliban bans Afghan women from working in NGOs | World News

The Taliban have banned Afghan women from working in NGOs in the country.

Female employees are not allowed to work for NGOs until further notice because some do not abide by the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women, the letter said.

The economy ministry said it had received “serious complaints” about female staff not wearing the “correct” hijab or hijab.

The ban came after Afghan women were stop going to college Taliban move draw international condemnation.

It was unclear whether the ban, announced in a letter and confirmed by the economy ministry, would also apply to foreign women or United Nations staff with significant influence in the country.

The economy ministry said the ban applies to Afghanistan’s Coordinating Body for Humanitarian Organizations, known as ACBAR, which does not include the United Nations.

However, the UN contracts NGOs that are part of Afghanistan’s ACBAR to carry out its humanitarian work.

The U.N. said in a statement that it wanted to meet with the Taliban to seek clarification on the issue, and Ramiz Alakbarov, U.N. deputy special representative and humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, added that most of its work in the country was carried out by non-governmental organizations.

“Many of our programs will be affected and we won’t be able to implement them because unless we involve women staff in humanitarian needs assessments, beneficiary identification, aid delivery and aid distribution – then we won’t be able to implement them,” Mr Alakbarov said .

In recent days, the Taliban have used water cannons to disperse protesters protesting a ban on women attending universities.

Witnesses in the western city of Herat said more than 20 women chanted “education is our right” on their way to the governor’s residence on Saturday but were pushed away by security forces firing water cannons.

The video showed the women screaming and hiding and fleeing the water.

Mariam, one of the organizers of the protest, said 100 to 150 women took part in the protest, divided into smaller groups.

“There are security guards on every street, every square, armored vehicles and armed men,” she said.

“When we started protesting in Tariqi Park, the Taliban plucked branches from the trees and beat us. But we continued to protest. They stepped up security. Around 11am, they brought out water cannons.”

The local governor, Hamidullah Mutawakil, disputed the account of events, saying only about five people showed up and they had “no agenda, they were just here to make a movie”.

After the Taliban took power last year, militants promised softer rules on women’s rights but have since barred them from schools, most workplaces, parks and gyms.

Women in the country are also required to wear a head-to-toe veil in public, showing only their eyes.