International organizations in Kandahar Province have been given one day to remove all female staff from their offices.
The Taliban Department of Refugees and Repatriation in Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province gave the order in a letter to non-government organizations dated June 20.
“From tomorrow, all NGOs must stop their female employees attending their offices,” the letter states. “And they are also not allowed to hire female employees.”
It accused aid agencies of disobeying the order of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hebatullah to prohibit women from working in offices.
The letter cited Unicef, IOM (International Organization for Migration), NRC (Norwegian Refuge Council), HRDA (Human Resource Development Agency) and DRC (Danish Refugee Council).
Late last year, the Taliban banned women from working in domestic and foreign organizations until further notice.
The move sparked national and international condemnation, but the Taliban insisted that the decision was an internal affair made according to Islamic laws.
The ban put hundreds of women out of work, most of them the sole breadwinners for their families.
Reports suggest it has increased food insecurity and malnutrition among children and mothers.
