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Afghanistan’s Taliban-run administration has ordered all native and overseas non-governmental organisations (NGO) to cease feminine staff from coming to work, in response to an economic system ministry letter, within the newest crackdown on ladies’s freedoms.
The letter, confirmed by economic system ministry spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib on Saturday, mentioned the feminine staff weren’t allowed to work till additional discover as a result of some had not adhered to the administration’s interpretation of Islamic gown code for ladies.
The letter mentioned any NGO discovered not complying with the order would have their working licence revoked in Afghanistan.
The order got here days after the Taliban-run administration ordered universities to shut to ladies, prompting robust international condemnation and sparking some protests and heavy criticism inside Afghanistan.
It was not instantly clear how the order would have an effect on United Nations companies, which have a big presence in Afghanistan delivering companies amid the nation’s humanitarian disaster.
When requested whether or not the principles included UN companies, Habib mentioned the letter utilized to organisations underneath Afghanistan’s coordinating physique for humanitarian organisations, generally known as ACBAR. That physique doesn’t embrace the United Nations, however consists of greater than 180 native and worldwide NGOs.
Nonetheless, the United Nations typically contracts with NGOs registered in Afghanistan to hold out its humanitarian work.
Support staff say feminine staff are important to making sure ladies can entry help.
‘Training is our proper’
Taliban safety forces used a water cannon to disperse ladies protesting the ban on college training for ladies on Saturday, witnesses mentioned.
Because the announcement on Tuesday, Afghan ladies have since demonstrated in main cities towards the ban, a uncommon signal of home protest because the Taliban seized energy final 12 months.
Based on witnesses within the western metropolis of Herat, about two dozen ladies on Saturday have been heading to the provincial governor’s home to protest the ban, chanting, “Training is our proper,” once they have been pushed again by safety forces firing the water cannon.
One of many protest organisers, Maryam, mentioned between 100 and 150 ladies took half within the protest, transferring in small teams from totally different components of town in direction of a central assembly level. She didn’t give her final title for concern of reprisals.
“There was safety on each road, each sq., armoured automobiles and armed males,” she mentioned. “Once we began our protest, in Tariqi Park, the Taliban took branches from the timber and beat us. However we continued our protest. They elevated their safety presence. Round 11am [06:30 GMT], they introduced out the water cannon.”
A spokesman for the provincial governor, Hamidullah Mutawakil, claimed there have been solely 4 or 5 protesters. “They’d no agenda, they simply got here right here to make a movie,” he mentioned.
There was widespread worldwide condemnation of the college ban, together with from Muslim-majority international locations equivalent to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, in addition to warnings from the US and the G7 group of main industrial nations that the coverage could have penalties for the Taliban.
An official within the Taliban authorities, Minister of Larger Training Nida Mohammad Nadim, spoke concerning the ban for the primary time on Thursday in an interview with the Afghan state tv. He mentioned the ban was needed to forestall the blending of genders in universities and since he believes some topics being taught violated the rules of Islam.
He mentioned the ban could be in place till additional discover.
Regardless of initially promising a extra average rule respecting rights for ladies and minorities, the Taliban has extensively carried out its interpretation of Islamic legislation because it seized energy in August 2021.
It has additionally restricted ladies from most fields of employment, ordered them to put on head-to-toe clothes in public, and banned them from parks and gymnasiums.
Additionally Saturday, within the southwestern Pakistani metropolis of Quetta, dozens of Afghan refugee college students protested towards the ban on feminine greater training of their homeland and demanded the instant reopening of campuses for ladies.
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