Taliban Declares Mixed-Gender Work Environments ‘Sinful’
The Taliban has declared the presence of women in mixed-gender work environments as a ‘sin’, intensifying restrictions on women’s participation in the workforce. In a written statement, Saif al-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, warned that institutions violating these rules would face serious consequences.
Khyber accused several organizations of disregarding the ministry’s regulations, particularly those concerning the mandatory hijab. He also claimed that some organizations have exhibited ‘mixing of genders and immodesty’, behaviors the Taliban deems unacceptable and contrary to Islamic law.
Issuing a stern warning, Khyber stated that women and men in these institutions would not be allowed to chat or work together in shared spaces. He further alleged that his ministry had received hundreds of complaints about the operations of both international and local organizations.
He emphasized that if institutions fail to adhere to what he described as ‘Islamic principles’, they would be warned and ordered to remove their female staff. His remarks point to growing pressure on organizations attempting to maintain the presence of Afghan women in the professional sphere despite mounting restrictions.
As the Taliban continues to enforce increasingly rigid policies against women, concerns are growing over their complete exclusion from public life in Afghanistan. This comes despite repeated international calls for an end to gender discrimination and for the return of women to educational and professional roles.
