The Taliban government has implemented new laws in Afghanistan restricting women’s voices and faces in public, aiming to promote ‘virtue,’ according to the Associated Press.
Following their takeover after the withdrawal of US and coalition forces in 2021, the Taliban established a ministry dedicated to the ‘prevention of vice.’ On Wednesday, officials released a 114-page rulebook detailing regulations on various aspects of daily life, including public transport, music, personal grooming, and celebrations.
Approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the new laws mandate that all women cover their bodies in public, with face coverings deemed essential to ‘avoid temptation and tempting others.’ Clothing must be neither thin, tight, nor short, with violations potentially leading to arrest.
Additionally, the laws classify a woman’s voice as intimate, prohibiting her from singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public. Women are also forbidden from looking at men who are not their blood relatives or spouses, and vice versa.
Other restrictions include a ban on music, solo travel for women, and socializing between men and women who are not related.
A recent United Nations report highlighted that the ministry’s actions are fostering a climate of fear among Afghans.
Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan, expressed significant concern, stating, “The de facto authorities’ indication that this oversight will be increasing and expanding is deeply troubling for all Afghans, particularly women and girls.”
