The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has decreed that new residential buildings in Afghanistan must be constructed without windows that offer views of areas “usually used by women.”
Existing windows with such views are also required to be blocked, ostensibly to prevent “obscene acts.”
According to a statement released by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the new buildings should not have windows that allow visibility into “the courtyard, kitchen, neighbour’s well, and other places usually used by women.”
Mujahid posted the decree on social media platform X, stating that “seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts.”
The Taliban authorities have tasked municipal authorities and relevant departments with monitoring construction sites to ensure compliance with the new regulations. Homeowners with existing windows that offer views of female-dominated spaces are encouraged to build walls or obstruct the view “to avoid nuisances caused to neighbours.”
This is another part of the Taliban’s systematic efforts to erase women from public spaces.
Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban has banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment opportunities, and blocked access to parks and other public places.
A recent law has even prohibited women from singing or reciting poetry in public, encouraging them to “veil” their voices and bodies outside the home.
Some local radio and television stations have stopped broadcasting female voices altogether.
The Taliban administration claims that Islamic law “guarantees” the rights of Afghan men and women. However, human rights advocates strongly disagree. Heather Barr, the interim deputy director of women’s rights at Human Rights Watch, condemned the Taliban’s actions, saying:
“People have talked about the Taliban metaphorically erasing women, but increasingly, it is not metaphorical at all. They have already ordered that women’s voices shouldn’t be heard in public, and now they are essentially stopping women from even looking out of the window. They are stopping women from being seen. They are stopping women from seeing the world. It’s a total annihilation of women’s personhood, and it is clearly ongoing. We don’t have any idea where this will end.”
