THE TALIBAN HAVE said they will close all national and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Afghanistan that employ women.

The Taliban have defended the latest move to restrict the rights of women in Afghanistan, saying that female NGO staff had broken dress codes by not wearing hijabs.

It comes two years after they told NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they did not wear the Islamic headscarf correctly.

In a letter published on social media platform X on Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their licence to operate in Afghanistan.

The ministry said it was responsible for the registration, co-ordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organisations.

وزارت اقتصاد منحیث مرجع ثبت و راجستر موسسات غیر امارتی، مسولیت انسجام، رهبری و نظارت تمامی فعالیت های انجو های داخلی و خارجی را به عهده دارد.
بناً یکبار دیگر طی متحدالمال تعقیبی در مورد توقف کار طبقه اناث در موسسات غیر امارتی داخلی و خارجی هدایت داده شده است. در صورت عدم همکاری… pic.twitter.com/kqiW7Re3an

— Ministry of Economy-Afghanistan (@economy_af) December 29, 2024

The government was once again ordering the stoppage of all female work in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter.

It is the Taliban’s latest attempt to control or intervene in NGO activity.

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that an increasing proportion of female Afghan humanitarian workers were prevented from doing their work even though relief work remains essential.

According to Tom Fletcher, a senior UN official, the proportion of humanitarian organisations reporting that their female or male staff were stopped by the Taliban’s morality police has also increased.

The Taliban deny they are stopping aid agencies from carrying out their work or interfering with their activities.

They have already barred women from many jobs and most public spaces, and also excluded them from education beyond sixth grade.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been progressively erased from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to denounce the “gender apartheid” the administration has established.

Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and blocked access to parks and other public places.

A recent law even prohibits women from singing or reciting poetry in public under the Taliban government’s ultra-strict application of Islamic law. It also encourages them to “veil” their voices and bodies outside the home.

Some local radio and television stations have also stopped broadcasting female voices.

The Taliban administration claims that Islamic law “guarantees” the rights of Afghan men and women.

In another recent development, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered that buildings should not have windows looking into places where a woman might sit or stand.

According to a four-clause decree posted on X late Saturday, the order applies to new buildings as well as existing ones.

“Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement online.

With additional reporting from Andrew Walsh