The radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan continue to restrict women’s rights. On Saturday, the Economy Ministry instructed all aid organizations in the country to ban their female employees from coming to work. This applies to all national and foreign non-governmental organizations, explained the ministry. A few days ago, the Taliban excluded female students from public and private universities.
The NGO’s employees are not allowed to work until further notice because some of them have not followed the interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women, a spokesperson said. Whether the order would also apply to United Nations organizations, which are heavily represented in Afghanistan, initially remained open.
Meanwhile, in the western Afghan city of Herat, dozens of women protested against the ban on entering the country’s universities. One protester said they took to the streets in small groups with slogans such as “Education is our right”. The women gathered in front of the provincial governor’s office. The Taliban then broke up the protests with water cannons and batons, he said.
Videos on social media showed a fire engine spraying protesters with a liquid. The Taliban showed an increased military presence in the capital Kabul on Saturday. There, too, dozens of women demonstrated against the university ban recently imposed on Thursday. At least one of the women has since disappeared.
On Tuesday, the Taliban banned women from all universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect. Since taking power in August 2021, Islamists have massively restricted women’s rights. Girls and women are largely excluded from public life. In the past, women who protested for their rights were repeatedly detained, sometimes for several weeks.