Our reporter
The Taliban government has enacted a sweeping new set of laws that severely restrict the presence of women in public life, including a ban on their voices and faces, in an effort to promote what it calls “virtue” in Afghanistan.
The Associated Press reports that these measures are part of a broader initiative by the Islamist regime to enforce its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
These new laws were officially detailed in a 114-page rulebook released on Wednesday by the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue, a body the Taliban established shortly after seizing power in 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces.
The laws, endorsed by the Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, regulate numerous aspects of daily life in Afghanistan, from public transport and celebrations to music and personal grooming.
According to the new regulations, women are now required to cover their entire bodies in public, including their faces, to prevent “temptation and tempting others.” The rules stipulate that clothing must not be thin, tight, or short, with violators facing the risk of arrest.
The law further prohibits women from speaking, singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public, as their voices are considered too “intimate” to be heard outside the home.
Moreover, the new laws impose strict limitations on interactions between men and women, forbidding women from looking at men they are not related to by blood or marriage, and vice versa. The regime has also banned music, women traveling alone, and any socializing between men and women unless they are immediate family members.
These regulations have heightened concerns among international observers and human rights organizations. Last month, a report by the United Nations highlighted the growing climate of fear in Afghanistan, exacerbated by the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice’s stringent oversight.
Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan, expressed deep concern, stating, “The position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls.”
The latest laws represent a stark continuation of the Taliban’s hardline policies, with severe implications for the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and the broader population.
As the international community watches with growing alarm, the future of human rights in Afghanistan remains deeply uncertain.
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