The new Taliban rulers in Afghanistan set up a ministry for “propaganda of virtue and prevention of evil” in the building previously occupied by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
A month after the capture of Kabul by Taliban leaders, this is the latest indication that they are restricting women’s rights. During their first term in power in the 1990s, they deprived girls and women of the right to education and banned public life.
Three Taliban vehicles exploded in the eastern capital, Jalalabad, on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 20, witnesses said. The Islamic State militants, who did not immediately take responsibility but established headquarters in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.
The Taliban face economic and security problems as they try to take control of Afghanistan, and the growth of IS militants poses a challenge to them.
The removal of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs led to the removal of staff from the World Bank’s $ 100 million Women’s Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program.
Mabuba Suraj, head of the Afghan Women’s Network, said he was surprised by the Taliban ‘s disregard for orders restricting women and girls.
The Taliban-led Ministry of Education, has been urging boys from grade six to grade 12 to return to school from Saturday along with their male teachers. There was no mention of girls returning to school in those grades.
Earlier, the Taliban’s higher education minister had said that girls would be given equal access to education, even if they were divided on the basis of gender.
Taliban leadership statements often reflect a desire to connect with the world and talk about open spaces for women and girls and the protection of minorities in Afghanistan.
A former adviser to the Ministry of Women under the previous Afghan government has strongly condemned the Taliban ‘s move to close the ministry.
The closure of the Ministry of Women shows that in the future, women will not have the opportunity to exercise their rights or to participate in government service and other activities.