Afghan women criticise Taliban's restrictions on employment

Kabul [Afghanistan], March 30 : Afghan women have criticised Taliban's restrictions on female employment, saying their economic difficulties are becoming increasingly dire, Afghanistan-based TOLO News reported.
A former employee for the Administrative Reforms Commission, Farzia said that since losing her job, she has been faced with both financial and psychological problems.
Farzia, who is the sole breadwinner of her family, said, "The women who have studied for years and gained expertise should be allowed to contribute to the workforce."
"When a woman is away from her duty, all that experience and capacity for improvement will be lost over time," Uqda, an employee of the previous government, told TOLO News.
According to Kabul residents, both men and women must work in order for the economy to thrive in the nation.
"We ask the Islamic Emirate to let women work side by side with their brothers, which would cause the growth of our country's economy," said Mudaser, a resident of Kabul.
"There is no problem with women working; it promotes the advancement of society, and society advances," Wasim Sarwari, another Kabul resident, told TOLO News.
Bilal Karimi, the Islamic Emirate's deputy spokesman, noted that some women are employed in government institutions where there is a need for them.
"Women work in all sectors where they are needed. In the Ministries of the Interior, Finance, Health, and Education. They work in every sector that needs them. It is also not necessary for women who work in departments who do not need them," Karimi said.
The development comes on the heels of the US State Department's deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel saying that denying women access to employment and education prevents them from participating in the distribution of humanitarian aid that helps all Afghan citizens.
Patel said, "We have seen this now time and time again - denying them education, denying them the ability to work, denying them the ability to participate in the provision of humanitarian assistance that benefits all Afghans."
The Taliban has, however, asserted that women's rights are completely protected in Afghanistan and has urged other countries to refrain from meddling in its domestic affairs.
Since the Taliban-led government took control of power in Afghanistan, the group has intensified its repression of women's rights and freedom.
National and international organisations have slammed the Taliban suppression policy. They have asserted that it will promote poverty, unemployment, and extremism, harbouring terrorists and threatening global peace and security.