AFGHANISTAN After forcing them to stay at home, the Taliban reduce women’s wages

Female public sector employees who do not go to work can receive a maximum of 5,000 Afghanis ($70). However, it was the Taliban themselves who prevented women from leaving their homes. Despite several rounds of talks, the international community has yet to find a solution to resolve Afghanistan’s political and economic stalemate.

Kabul (/Agencies) – After confining them within the walls of their homes, the Taliban have reduced the salaries of women employed in the public sector. According to a statement issued last month by the Ministry of Finance and signed by Hibatullah Akhundzada, considered the supreme leader of the Taliban, women who do not go to work can earn a maximum of 5,000 Afghanis, an amount equivalent to 70 dollars, which represents a reduction in their salary of about 75%.

Before the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, when the previous Afghan government was supported (including financially) by the West, the salaries of some women – such as university professors – could reach 35,000 Afghanis, while administrative positions were paid around 20,000 Afghanis, although the Taliban authorities later reduced this to 15,000 Afghanis.

When the “Koranic students” recaptured the country, much of the funds held abroad belonging to the Kabul government were frozen so that they would not end up in the hands of the Taliban. The Biden administration has transferred $3.5 billion to a Swiss trust account in the name of the Afghan population, but the other $6 billion remains blocked. More than 20 million people, about half the population, live below the poverty line and today, after decades of war, it is often widows who have to take care of the family.

“It is impossible to live on this income,” he said. the mother of a former teacher elementary school student who until three years ago earned $300 a month. “Our financial problems have increased a lot.” Several Other women told local media that with this salary cut they can barely feed a family of seven for two weeks.

A new violation of the freedoms of Afghan women, who no longer have access to higher education or free movement. In March, the Taliban issued a decree providing for stoning for so-called “moral crimes”, such as sexual relations outside of marriage or running away from home, which is often done to escape domestic violence. It is not surprising that the number of suicides has been increasing. “Being confined at home is already a big problem for us: our psychological and mental conditions are terrible, and now that our salaries have gone down, the situation has only gotten worse,” said a 25-year-old woman who works at the Information and Culture Department near Kabul.

The international community has still not managed to find a solution to Afghanistan’s political and economic stalemate. The third round of UN-sponsored talks concluded earlier this month in Doha, Qatar. These included diplomatic envoys from several countries and, for the first time, Taliban representatives. The Taliban did not take part in the first session because they had not been invited, and they refused to take part in the second session because Afghan civil society leaders, including women’s rights activists, were also present. When they were excluded, the Taliban agreed to send a delegation.

Following the predictable criticism they received after the meeting, UN officials recalled that (despite the presence of some foreign embassies in Afghanistan) no country officially recognises the Taliban government: “I would like to stress that this meeting and this process of dialogue do not mean normalisation or recognition,” Rosemary DiCarlo saidUnder-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.

But according to some expertsthe religious leadership headed by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, who is based in Kandahar and continues to implement obscurantist policies, is not interested in formal recognition of his government or financial aid. “We are going through a process that will be long-term. It is not easy to move forward. And we will continue to try to do our best. We will not make everyone happy,” DiCarlo added after the meeting in Doha. A date for the next round of talks has not yet been set.