The government ministry in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has enacted new laws on “vice and virtue,” which ban women’s voices and uncovered faces from public life. These laws were issued by the ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice,” which was established in 2021 after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. The laws cover various aspects of everyday public life and were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Women must now veil their entire bodies, including their faces, in public to avoid temptation. Women are also forbidden from singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public. Women cannot look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage, and vice versa. These laws come after the Taliban had already placed harsh restrictions on women’s freedoms after taking over. They had previously banned women from attending school beyond the sixth grade and from working at non-governmental organizations. These new restrictions are creating a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans, especially women and girls. The Taliban has rejected the concerns raised by the UN about these laws.
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