According to the Ministry of Economy, an announcement made to AFP on Saturday, the Taliban authorities of Afghanistan issued an order for all national and international non-governmental organisations to halt their female employees from working after receiving "severe complaints" about their dress code.
The decree threatened to revoke the operational licences of any non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that did not comply with the mandate.
The most recent limitation comes less than a week after the authorities of the Taliban forbade women from attending universities, which prompted indignation and demonstrations all around the world.
In spite of the fact that the Taliban had stated that they would implement a more lenient type of governance upon their return to power in August of the previous year, they have instead put severe restrictions on women, which have essentially excluded them from participating in public life.
According to a notification that was sent to all of the NGOs, a copy of which was obtained by AFP and confirmed by a spokesman for the ministry of economy, "there have been serious complaints regarding the non-observance of the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations pertaining to the work of females in national and international organisations."
The notification stated that "there have been serious complaints regarding the non-observance of the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations pertaining to the work of females in national
The announcement stated that "the ministry of economics... advises all organisations to halt females working until further notice," and it went on to say that this directive was effective immediately.
In the event that the preceding command is disobeyed, the document continued, "the licence of the organisation that has been issued by this ministry would be cancelled."
It was confirmed by two different international NGOs that they had obtained the notification.
Under the condition of maintaining their identity, a high-ranking official from an international NGO engaged in humanitarian work disclosed to AFP that beginning on Sunday, they will cease all of their operations.
The highest-ranking officials from each of the NGOs will shortly get together to discuss the matter and decide how to proceed.
In Afghanistan's most distant regions, dozens of national and international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) are still hard at work in a variety of fields, and a significant number of their personnel are female.
The edict is the most recent violation of the rights of Afghan women to which they are entitled.
On Tuesday, the authorities issued a restriction that prevented any and all women from enrolling in institutions, which drew criticism from the United States of America, the United Nations, and a number of Muslim nations.
According to the Group of Seven Industrialized Democracies, the prohibition could be considered "a crime against humanity."
The announcement of this prohibition came less than three months after thousands of women had been granted permission to take university entrance tests.
Around four hundred male students in the southern city of Kandahar, which is the de facto power centre of the Taliban, responded to the order by skipping an exam. This was a rare instance of male protesters taking action.
Under the condition of anonymity, a lecturer at the university where the demonstration took place, Mirwais Neeka University, stated to AFP that Taliban forces fired into the air in order to disrupt the students' walkout protest.
Women have been forced out of many government jobs, prevented from travelling without a male relative, and ordered to cover up outside of the home, preferably with a burqa. Teenage girls had already been barred from secondary schools by the Taliban. In addition, women are not allowed to travel without a male relative.
They are not permitted to access any public parks or gardens either.
In recent weeks, the Taliban have also resumed publicly whipping both men and women, further expanding their application of a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
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