The Taliban have requested that all countrywide female employees send a male cousin to work in the offices on their behalf.
The statement came a year after female public sector workers were ordered to stay at home and were forbidden from holding government positions.
According to The Guardian, a number of women said that Taliban officials urged them to send a male cousin in place of them because “the burden in the office has increased and they need to hire a guy instead of us.”
According to Sima Bahous, executive director of United Nations Women, “current limitations on women’s employment have been predicted to result in an immediate economic loss of up to $1bn, or up to 5% of Afghanistan’s GDP.”
“Current restrictions on women’s employment have been estimated to result in an immediate economic loss of up to $1bn – or up to 5% of Afghanistan’s GDP,” said Executive Director of United Nations Women Sima Bahous.
Maryam, who worked at the Afghan ministry of finance for more than 15 years, said: “I was asked to introduce a male family member to replace me at the ministry, so I could be dismissed from the job.”
“Since they came [to power], the Taliban have demoted me and reduced my salary from 60,000 Afghanis [£575] to AFN12,000. I cannot even afford my son’s school fees. When I questioned this, an official rudely told me to get out of his office and said that my demotion was not negotiable,” she said.
