There is no denying that the Taliban has been slowly and steadily restricting the freedom and rights of women in Afghanistan ever since they came to power.
Although they reportedly claimed in the beginning that they wouldn’t restrict women so much and they could still have some freedoms, however, over the two years of rule the officials have increasingly been tirghtening the rules around women of the country.
Earlier they came into news for shutting down beauty parlors, enforcing strict dress codes, restricting women from attending schools, colleges, workplaces, in fact even parks and taking women into custody if they were found flaunting them as per reports.
Now, a United Nations (UN) report that came out last week is claiming that the restrictions are being extended to single women or those without male guardians too.
What Is This New Crack Down?
In a report called “Human Rights Situation in Afghanistan: October – December 2023 Update” published on 22nd January 2024, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that “The de facto authorities continue to enforce and promulgate restrictions on women’s rights to work, education and freedom of movement.”
The report gives an example of an incident from 26th December 2023 that happened in Kandahar, where the de facto Department of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice officials came to a bus terminal in order to make sure that “women were not travelling long distances without mahrams and instructed bus drivers that they were not to permit women to board without a mahram.”
Read More: “A Crime Against Humanity:” Afghan Women Launch UN Campaign For Their Rights Supressed By Taliban
The UNAMA also noticed that between October to December 2023 there were incidents of officials of the de facto Department for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice restricting women who were unmarried or did not have a mahram (essentially a male guardian that is not the woman’s spouse) from working or using services.
As per the report, around 3 female health workers were stopped from going to their workplace without a mahram and only released once “their families signed a written guarantee that they would not repeat the act.”
In another instance occuring on 2nd December 2023 in the Paktya province “women without mahrams were prevented by de facto Department for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice officials from accessing health facilities.”
As per another incident from December of last year, a female staff at a healthcare facility who is unmarried was told by officials of the de facto Department for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice “to get married or risk losing her job stating that it was inappropriate for an unmarried woman to work.”
U.N. spokesman, asked for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ reaction to the latest bans, replied: “Horror!” with Stephane Dujarric further adding “It must be unimaginable to have to live there.”
Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban’s chief spokesman, has however, dismissed the report and claimed that it is “based mostly on misunderstandings” as per an AP News report, and he further accused that the mission was ignoring or criticizing Islamic law, or Shariah.
Mujahid in a statement said that the Islamic government being in power in the region must “fully implement all aspects of Shariah for both men and women,” and that “If UNAMA criticizes these cases or considers explicit Islamic rulings as an act against human rights, then it is an insult to the beliefs of a people.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: AP News, The Hindu, Hindustan Times
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This post is tagged under: afghanistan, afghanistan geopolitics, woman ban afghanistan, Taliban, taliban controlled afghanistan, Taliban rule, taliban rulers, women under taliban, Afghan people, Afghani women, Human rights, human rights violation, humanitarian, humanity, Taliban, taliban afghanistan, taliban ban, women, women’s rights
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