Taliban Replaces Afghanistan's Women's Ministry With Moral Police

Taliban Ministry Of Virtue and Vices: The Taliban in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul replaced the signs for the women's minister with its moral on Friday. The female employee of was reported saying that they have been locked out of the building.

The new sign on the former women's ministry read "Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice", according to Reuters.

The female employees who used to work in the same building claimed that they have been trying to come to work for several weeks but they were told to return to their homes. Reuters report mentioned many videos filmed outside the building which seemed to confirm the news. One of the women said that the gates of the building were finally locked on Thursday.

Another woman who worked in the former department said, "I am the only breadwinner in my family."

"When there is no ministry, what should an Afghan woman do?"

The Taliban has earlier carried out anti-human rights activities in Afghanistan during its rule between 1996 to 2001. At the time girls were not allowed to attend school and women were not allowed to work. The same is expected to repeat in their current rule after US troops withdrew from Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had existed during the earlier rule of Taliban which acted as the militant group's moral police. They imposed strict rules against breaking the dress code which often meant public executions and floggings. The moral police acted on the group's interpretation of the sharia law.

The Taliban recently established its own cabinet in early September which included a minister for the virtue and vices department. The announcement of new government had not mentioned any women's minister. The had not clearly stated that the ministry has been disbanded. A senior Taliban leader in his statement this week had stated that women will not be allowed to work in the government with men.