Afghan women’s freedom wane amid Taliban’s severe new laws

In Kabul, Afghan women face increasingly severe restrictions as the Taliban enforces a new set of draconian laws that extend their control over every aspect of female life.

As the Taliban enforces increasingly harsh laws, Afghan women are resigning themselves to the reality that their hopes for a relaxation of severe restrictions have all but disappeared, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The new religious code, issued late last month, imposes a range of stringent measures, including prohibiting women from speaking out, reciting the Quran publicly, or looking at men outside their immediate family. Women are now required to cover the lower half of their faces in addition to their head coverings, among other mandates. While the Taliban government had already imposed strict regulations on women, the latest laws formalize restrictions that were previously applied inconsistently. Afghan women, interviewed over the past week, have noted a noticeable intensification of enforcement, particularly in urban areas where restrictions had been less rigorously applied. The Taliban's morality police, representing the most conservative factions of the regime, have been granted unprecedented authority in Kabul and other cities.

Once a rare presence in the capital, these officers are now frequently seen patrolling bus stops and shopping centers, targeting dress-code violations and any signs of women speaking or laughing. On Fridays, they disperse women in certain areas of Kabul, accusing them of hindering male shopkeepers from reaching mosques in time for prayers. The visibility of women on Afghan television has also drastically diminished. Despite earlier bans on secondary and higher education for girls, and the exclusion of women from universities since the Taliban's rise to power, some women were still attending English classes until recently.

However, with recent warnings from the morality police to male teachers, many families are now reluctant to allow their daughters to participate, and others have chosen to stay home out of fear. “Three weeks ago, I still had hope that the Taliban might lift the restrictions on girls’ education,” said Meena, a Kabul resident in her 20s who organizes clandestine classes for teenage girls. “But after they issued their new vice and virtue law, I lost all hope,” she added. The women interviewed for this report requested anonymity or only their first names be used to avoid drawing the Taliban’s attention.

A women’s rights activist in Kabul, who was barred from studying during the Taliban’s previous rule in the 1990s, now feels that history is repeating itself. “The whole country has become a graveyard for women’s aspirations,” said the 48-year-old activist. She noted that the initial signs suggesting a less extreme approach by the Taliban this time have not materialized. When the Taliban took control in August 2021, they quickly imposed extensive restrictions on women. However, many of these restrictions, especially those related to education, were initially presented by Taliban officials as temporary measures.

These officials often failed to clearly define the rules, leading to regional variations in enforcement, with urban areas like Kabul experiencing different levels of restriction compared to the more conservative rural south. Now, some women are losing hope that urban influences might lead to a moderation of Taliban policies. “There are two factions within the Taliban,” said Sajia, a 24-year-old former university student. “One seemed more moderate and willing to adjust the rules. But now, with the restrictions codified into law, it appears they have lost influence, and hope is fading.” Others abandoned hope for a more tolerant Taliban leadership long ago. “When it comes to cruelty and restrictions, they are all in agreement,” said a 20-year-old female Kabul resident who was admitted to Kabul University’s archaeology department just before the Taliban imposed the ban on female education.