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In a stark reminder of their repressive governance, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has issued a new set of vice and virtue laws that significantly curtail women’s freedoms, marking a disturbing escalation in their campaign against women’s rights. These laws, published by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, and approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, represent the first formal declaration of such rules since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Central to these laws is a severe restriction on women’s presence in public life. Article 13 mandates that women must keep their faces covered at all times in public, asserting that a woman’s face and voice are sources of temptation. The law further bans women from speaking, singing, or reciting poetry in public, declaring that their voices should not be heard outside their homes. This extends the Taliban’s already harsh policies that have systematically eroded women’s rights since their return to power .
The scope of these new regulations is broad, affecting various aspects of daily life. Public transportation, music, and interactions between men and women are all tightly controlled. Article 19, for example, prohibits the playing of music and the transportation of women without a male relative. It also forbids any public interaction between unrelated men and women, enforcing a strict segregation that further marginalizes women from public spaces.
These laws are not just about control; they are about silencing and erasing women from the public sphere altogether. Since the Taliban’s return, Afghan women have faced increasing restrictions, including bans on education beyond the sixth grade and exclusion from most forms of employment. These policies have led to widespread despair and a mental health crisis among Afghan women, who have seen their rights and freedoms steadily stripped away .
The international community has condemned these actions, but responses have been criticized as insufficient. Despite calls from human rights organizations, the global reaction has often been muted, with diplomatic engagements yielding little to no progress in reversing the Taliban’s draconian measures. As the situation worsens, there is a growing fear that the global indifference may embolden the Taliban, setting a dangerous precedent for women’s rights worldwide.
The Taliban’s new laws are not just an affront to women in Afghanistan but a signal of how fragile women’s rights can be globally, highlighting the urgent need for international solidarity and action.
