These include bans on girls pursuing education beyond primary school and outright prohibitions on women working in governmental and international non-governmental organizations
News Desk
KABUL: In a stark escalation of its oppressive measures against women, the Taliban has issued a new edict that bars Afghan women from allowing their voices to be heard by others, including fellow women. Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s minister of vice and virtue, articulated this restriction in an audio statement last week, declaring that a woman’s voice is considered awrah, meaning it should be kept private and thus not audible in public spaces.
This latest decree extends even to religious practices; Hanafi emphasized that if the recitation of the Quran is prohibited, then singing must also be regarded as impermissible. Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, they have reinstated a series of stringent restrictions reminiscent of their rule in the 1990s. These include bans on girls pursuing education beyond primary school and outright prohibitions on women working in governmental and international non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, women are required to have a male guardian accompany them when leaving home and must adhere to mandates for full-body and face coverings.
The media landscape is equally stifling for women, with female news anchors now required to wear masks while broadcasting. Samira, a midwife based in Herat province, described the intensifying controls enforced by the Taliban, revealing that female health workers are now forbidden from speaking with male relatives of patients. This prohibition significantly complicates the provision of medical care. “They don’t allow us to speak at checkpoints or discuss medical matters in clinics with male family members,” she lamented, illustrating the pervasive challenges women face in both public and private spheres.
A recent report from UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett underscored the Taliban’s draconian measures, which now regulate nearly every aspect of Afghan women’s lives. According to the report, interactions between adult men and women who are not relatives are severely restricted, with prohibitions on viewing each other’s bodies or faces. Additionally, Muslim women are mandated to cover themselves in the presence of “non-believing” women, further entrenching the culture of fear and silence that envelops Afghan women under Taliban rule. As the international community watches, the situation underscores the urgent need for advocacy and action to support the fundamental rights of Afghan women in the face of escalating repression.
