The Taliban’s order will rob tens of thousands of Afghan women employed by local and foreign organizations of their livelihoods. (Reuters)
by Abubakar Siddique 30 December 2022
The Key Issue
The Taliban on December 24 banned all local and foreign nongovernmental organizations from employing Afghan women.
The order came from the Taliban’s economy minister, who said any NGO not complying with the edict will have its license revoked. The official said the ministry had received “serious complaints” about Afghan women working for NGOs not wearing the mandatory hijab, or Islamic head scarf, “correctly.”
The widely condemned order led major international aid agencies to halt their humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, including in the fields of health and education.
Why It’s Important: The Taliban’s ban is the latest draconian restriction against women in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban seized power last year, it has severely curtailed women’s right to work and receive an education.
The order will rob tens of thousands of Afghan women employed by local and foreign organizations of their livelihoods at a time when many Afghans are struggling for survival. Many of the women are the sole breadwinners for their families. The Taliban’s ban will aggravate the economic crisis in Afghanistan, which is already reeling from mass unemployment and soaring inflation.
Foreign NGOs suspending their operations will also exacerbate the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, one of the biggest in the world. Humanitarian assistance, including the distribution of food aid, can only be run with the help of Afghan women. Many initiatives are also specifically aimed at helping women, the most vulnerable group in the country of around 40 million. The move could put millions of Afghan women and their children at greater risk of hunger and disease.
What’s Next: UN officials said they have held “constructive” talks with the Taliban over resuming their operations. More discussions are planned in the weeks ahead. But it unclear if the Taliban will reverse its ban. The militant group has hardened its policies in recent months as the prospect of international recognition has dimmed. Many observers have said the hard-line Islamists are reestablishing their brutal regime of the 1990s, which was an international pariah.