Taliban has declared that women and girls in Afghanistan are not safe in the presence of the militant group’s soldiers.
Consequently, Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesperson, directed that women should not go to work for their own safety.
This appears to be a clear shift in the group’s messages as they earlier promised to be more open to women’s rights and freedoms after taking over power in Kabul.
Mujahid said the guidance to stay at home would be temporary, and would allow the group to find ways to ensure that women are not “treated in a disrespectful way” or “God forbid, hurt.”
He admitted the measure was necessary because the Taliban’s soldiers “keep changing and are not trained.”
“We are happy for them to enter the buildings but we want to make sure they do not face any worries,” he said.
“Therefore, we have asked them to take time off from work until the situation gets back to a normal order and women related procedures are in place, then they can return to their jobs once it’s announced.”
When last in power between 1996 and 2001 the militant group banned women from the workplace, stopped them from leaving the home except they are accompanied by men and forced them to cover their entire bodies.