In order to promote virtue in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has banned women’s voices and faces in public under new law.
The Islamist group had set up a ministry for the ‘prevention of vice’ after seizing power following the withdrawal of US and coalition forces in 2021.
Officials published its 114-page vice and virtue rulebook that covers aspects of everyday life such as public transport, music, shaving, and celebrations on Wednesday,.
Supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada who approved the law, stated that it is compulsory for all women to cover their bodies in public, adding that face coverings are essential to ‘avoid temptation and tempting others’.
The law further says clothing should not be thin, tight, or short, and failure to adhere could result in arrest.
According to the law, a woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public.
The law also forbids women to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.
Meanwhile, the law equally bans music, women travelling alone, and men and women socializing together unless they are related to each other.
Last month, a report by the United Nations said the ministry was contributing to a climate of fear among Afghans.
Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan, said: ‘The position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls.
