OIC criticizes the Taliban’s restriction on Afghan women working for NGOs.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA:

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday condemned the Afghan Taliban’s announcement, which ordered all local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to stop their women staff from working, saying that the ban is “self-defeating and disserving the interests of Afghan people”.

The statement issued on the cooperation’s official Twitter handle stated that OIC Secretary-General, H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha expressed his concern over the reported ban, adding that the “move reflects a willful policy by the de facto leadership apparently seeking to further impact Afghan women’s rights”. The restriction will negatively “impact humanitarian and relief operations carried out by a large network of national and international non-governmental organisations in support of vulnerable Afghan populations,” the secretary-general continued. To further promote the social inclusion of women, he asked the de facto authorities to “revisit this decision.”

Afghanistan’s Taliban-run administration on December 24 ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop female employees from coming to work, according to an economy ministry letter, in the latest crackdown on women’s freedoms.

The Ministry of Economy threatened to suspend the operating licences of NGOs if they failed to implement the order. The ministry, which issues these licences, said it had received “serious complaints” that women working in NGOs were not observing a proper Islamic dress code.