Taliban enforces restrictions on building design to conceal women’s spaces

The Taliban’s supreme leader has ordered a ban on the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook areas where Afghan women typically work, including kitchens, courtyards, and wells.

Existing windows in these locations are also to be obstructed under the new decree, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The order, released by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, stipulates that new buildings must not feature windows that provide a view into spaces where women are engaged in daily tasks. Mujahid, via social media platform X, described such views as potentially leading to "obscene acts."

Local authorities, including municipal officials, have been tasked with monitoring construction sites to ensure compliance, while building owners with existing windows that overlook these areas are urged to block the view or construct barriers to mitigate “nuisances” for neighbours.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, women's rights have been increasingly curtailed. This latest decree reflects the growing restrictions imposed on women’s presence in public life, following bans on girls' education, limitations on employment, and the closure of parks and public spaces to women.

International bodies, including the United Nations, have condemned the Taliban’s policies as "gender apartheid." Under the regime’s strict interpretation of Islamic law, women are required to fully cover themselves when outside their homes, and their participation in cultural activities, such as singing or poetry recitation in public, has been severely restricted. Additionally, some media outlets have ceased airing female voices.

This latest development underscores the continued erosion of women's rights and freedoms under the Taliban's rule.

By Aghakazim Guliyev