The European Union on Saturday condemned the Taliban’s ban on women working for local and foreign NGOs in Afghanistan.
“The European Union strongly condemns the recent decision by the Taliban to ban women from working in national and international NGOs,” a spokeswoman for EU diplomatic chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement to AFP. “We are assessing the situation and the impact it will have on our aid on the ground.”
The Talibans have ordered all NGOs working in the country to stop employing women. They cited “serious complaints about non-compliance with the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations on women’s work in national and international organisations.”
It is not clear whether the Taliban directive also applies to foreign women working in NGOs in the country. But two foreign NGOs working in the country have confirmed that they have received the official letter informing them of this.
The EU is a major contributor to NGO funding in Afghanistan, but has not recognised the Taliban regime.
The new ban on women comes just four days after the Taliban government decided to ban Afghan women from attending public and private universities in the country.
Since the Talibans regained power 16 months ago, the country has seen a rapid increase of repressive measures, particularly against women, who have been progressively pushed out of public life, and excluded from education and most public jobs.
