Taliban’s Shocking New Law: Women Silenced and Hidden from Public Life

Taliban Tightens Grip: New Laws Target Women’s Voices and Public Conduct

Kabul, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have introduced strict new laws curbing women’s presence in public spaces, as part of a sweeping set of “vice and virtue” regulations. Approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and announced Wednesday, these laws dictate daily life, from public transportation to personal grooming, and impose stringent rules on women’s behavior and dress.

Key Restrictions on Women:

• Mandatory Veiling: Women must fully cover their bodies in public, including a mandatory face covering to prevent “temptation.”
• Silenced Voices: Women are prohibited from singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public, as their voices are deemed “intimate.”
• Gender Segregation: Women are forbidden from looking at men they are not related to by blood or marriage, and vice versa.

These measures mark the Taliban’s first formal declaration of vice and virtue laws since their return to power in 2021. The new 35-article, 114-page document empowers the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to regulate personal conduct, enforce dress codes, and administer punishments such as warnings or arrests.

Impact on Public Life:

• Media Censorship: The publication of images of living beings is now banned, further threatening Afghanistan’s fragile media landscape.
• Public Conduct: Playing music and the transportation of solo female travelers are prohibited. Passengers and drivers must perform prayers at designated times.

The ministry claims these laws will promote virtue and eliminate vice, aligning behavior with Islamic law. However, a recent U.N. report warns that the ministry’s expanding role, including media monitoring and drug eradication, is fostering a climate of fear and intimidation, particularly for women and girls.

“Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the increasing oversight gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.

These developments underscore the Taliban’s tightening control over public and private life in Afghanistan, with women bearing the brunt of the regime’s hardline policies.