Taliban’s new draconian morality law silences women in Afghanistan

Women seem to have no voice in Afghanistan under the Taliban Government. From education to dress codes there are several restrictions the Taliban government has imposed on women living in Afghanistan who are regretting that they could not leave the country before the government changed in their country and the control went to a regressive government.

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When the Americans left the country there was chaos and the world was shocked to see images from the airport where thousands and thousands of people wanted to leave Afghanistan in fear of losing their employment, lives and women cried in pain remembering how the Taliban will treat them once they take over the country. One thing is clear the Taliban does not respect women’s freedom. It takes steps that nobody can imagine would exist and be respected in the 21^st century.

The recent release of a 114-page manifesto by the Taliban government in Afghanistan marks a severe escalation in the restriction of women’s rights, further diminishing the already limited freedoms Afghan women have experienced under the regime. The document codifies a series of prohibitions that have progressively forced women out of public life since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

Key restrictions detailed in the manifesto for Afghanistan women include:

No education beyond the sixth grade: Girls are barred from continuing their education beyond elementary school, making Afghanistan the only country in the world that explicitly bans high school education for girls.

No employment in most workplaces: Women are largely prohibited from working, effectively removing them from the workforce and making financial independence impossible.

No access to public spaces: Public places like parks, gyms, and salons are off-limits to women, further isolating them from social life.

Strict travel restrictions: Women cannot travel long distances without a male relative, significantly limiting their mobility and autonomy.

Severe dress code: Women are required to cover themselves from head to toe when outside their homes, reinforcing the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Ban on women’s voices in public: Perhaps the most draconian of the new rules is the prohibition on women’s voices being heard outside their homes, effectively silencing them in public spheres.

The systematic rollback of women’s rights over the past three years has cemented Afghanistan’s status as the most restrictive country in the world for women. The manifesto’s release extinguishes any remaining hope that the Taliban might moderate its stance, leaving many Afghan women grappling with the stark reality that their dreams and aspirations are being crushed under the weight of a repressive regime.

Many international organisations including the United Nations have raised their concerns concerning these morality laws of the Taliban government but it seems that they hardly pay attention to these concerns. Taliban is curtailing the freedom of women and it is not letting girls attend schools. Women are forced to live lives like prisoners in the country despite small protests against stringent rules that are being imposed in the country against women.