Afghanistan’s Taliban government has introduced laws to enforce strict gender segregation and control women’s bodies, according to the Associated Press.
The extremist regime has established a ministry dedicated to suppressing perceived vice and promoting virtue, following their takeover in 2021 after international forces withdrew.
On Wednesday, officials unveiled a comprehensive 114-page guide outlining rules governing various aspects of daily life, including public transportation, music, personal grooming, and celebrations.
The newly implemented laws, sanctioned by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, mandate that women conceal their bodies in public and wear face coverings to ‘avoid temptation and tempting others’, effectively erasing their presence in the public sphere.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has imposed dress code laws, dictating that clothing must not be thin, tight, or short, with non-compliance potentially leading to arrest.
Additionally, women’s voices are deemed ‘intimate’ and are restricted from singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public.
The laws also prohibit women from making eye contact with men outside of their familial or marital relationships, and vice versa.
Furthermore, music, solo travel by women, and socializing between unrelated men and women are strictly forbidden.
These oppressive regulations contribute to a climate of fear among Afghans, according to a recent United Nations report.
Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan, expressed grave concerns about the expanding oversight of the ministry, stating that it poses significant threats to the rights and freedoms of all Afghans, particularly women and girls.
