The Taliban has enacted a series of stringent new laws that further restrict women’s rights in Afghanistan, marking some of the most severe measures since they regained power in 2021.
Approved by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, these laws were announced on Wednesday and are part of a comprehensive 114-page document from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Under the new regulations, women are required to cover their faces and bodies completely in public, with the rationale that this prevents “temptation.”
Article 13 of the document explicitly states that women must not only wear a full-body veil but also refrain from singing, reciting, or speaking loudly in public, as their voices are deemed too intimate and should not be heard by others. Women are also prohibited from looking at men who are not their close relatives, and vice versa.
The laws extend to public transport, where music is banned, and women cannot travel alone unless accompanied by a male guardian. Moreover, the publication of images of living beings is forbidden, further constraining Afghanistan’s media landscape. The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue has been empowered to enforce these laws, with the authority to detain individuals for violations.
Several international organisations, including the United Nations, have expressed grave concerns about the implications of these laws, highlighting a growing climate of fear in the country, particularly for women and girls. The UN has warned that such restrictions could exacerbate the already dire situation for human rights in the country.
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