Afghan women are silenced. We will whip them in the street, declares the leader of the Taliban movement
Women and girls in Afghanistan must be veiled, they are not allowed to attend high schools or many public places, including spas, gyms, and parks. They are also banned from beauty salons or working in government offices and humanitarian organizations. From now on their voices must not be heard in the street either. New rules have been established by the governing Taliban movement, which were published at the end of August.
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, clouds began to gather over this Asian country again. Although this movement promised to govern more moderately after coming to power in 2021, it gradually began to implement strict measures against women and exclude them from public life.
Among other things, this has led to women having to be completely covered when outside the home. They are required to cover their faces and bodies to avoid temptations or to not tempt themselves. Their clothing should therefore not be thin, tight, or short. In the aforementioned country, women are also prohibited from looking at men who are not family members, and vice versa.
Be silent, women!
But now their voices must not be heard. For example, whether they sing, recite or read in public. It is regulated by new rules, which were published at the end of August. The female voice is considered to be an intimate matter. The observance of these rules is monitored by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The rules further extend the already unacceptable restrictions on the rights of women and girls, where even the sound of a woman's voice outside the home is considered a breach of morality,
Roza Otunbayeva, who is in charge of the UN mission in Afghanistan, criticized the trend, as stated by ČTK.
This spring, the Taliban also warned that they would soon start carrying out punishments for adultery.
We will whip women in public. They will be waiting for public stoning,
Leader of the movement, Hajbatullah Akhundzada, declared. This were the harshest statements from the Taliban since its return to power in Afghanistan, reminded in this context ČTK.
Banned education
The movement has already managed to close secondary schools for girls. That is why, according to UNESCO data, approximately 80 percent of Afghan girls and young women of school age do not go to school. Almost 30 percent of girls have never attended primary school.
The Taliban's ban on secondary education for girls has meanwhile succeeded in eradicating decades of achievements in education and development. Between 2001 and 2018, the number of students at all levels of education increased tenfold - from 1 million in 2001 to 10 million in 2018. In August 2021, 4 out of 10 elementary school students were girls.
Therefore, this summer, the UN’s Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises Fund launched a new part of the Education Cannot Wait campaign, which includes visual arts, poetry, cartoons, and other works by leading global artists. These are supplemented with quotes from Afghan girls who, although they were denied the right to education, continue to believe that their right will be restored.
Denying the right to quality education is an abomination and a violation of the UN Charter, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and basic human rights. Through the global campaign #AfghanGirlsVoices, people worldwide can stand up for human rights and for gender justice by sharing these stories of courage, hope, and resilience,
said the UN special envoy for global education and chair of the campaign's steering group Education Cannot Wait Gordon Brown.
Further Restrictions
The Taliban simultaneously banned many Afghan government offices and humanitarian organization workers from working. Former state employee Tala living in Kabul said she does not feel safe as a woman in Afghanistan.
Every morning begins with a deluge of announcements and orders that limit the lives of women, take away even the smallest joys, and thwart hopes for a better future,
she stated.
For women, Afghan authorities also closed a number of public places, including baths, gyms and parks, beauty parlors were banned.
The leader of the movement, Hajbatulláh Achúndzáda, said in this regard that women's rights, which are being promoted by the international community, are against the interpretation of Islamic law Sharia, which is applied by the Taliban.
We fought against you for 20 years and we will fight against you for another 20 or more years,
The Taliban leader said, adding:
"We know this is all against your democracy, but we will continue to do it. Just like you, we say that we are defending human rights - we do it in the name of God and you in the name of the devil."
Despite all this, the country retains its charm and diversity, as Slovak traveler Jozef Krajňák confirmed to LP-Life.
It's a strongly patriarchal state, where the man, father or husband decides about the running of the family and how the woman dresses. However, the Taliban does not have a strong influence everywhere and not everyone supports it. The most shocking information usually comes out to the public,
wrote to our editorial team the traveler.
Source: CTK, Education Cannot Wait, own polling
