Taliban Laws Restrict Women’s Rights: Public Speech and Face Covering Mandates

The Oppressive Reality Under Taliban Rule in Afghanistan

Three years after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, the regime has become increasingly severe and oppressive.
The population is subjected to extremely rigid rules, imposed under the constant threat of harsh punishments for violators.
Women remain one of the most affected groups by the inflexible edicts enforced by the Taliban, and the situation only continues to deteriorate.

For the first time, all bans issued by the organization over the years have been compiled into a written law, which now includes even harsher and inhumane regulations.
Up until this point, Taliban rules were only verbally enforced, but this did not lessen their impact on daily life.

New Restrictions on Women’s Rights

Women, who previously had very few rights, are now forbidden even from speaking in public.
This new rule supplements the existing prohibition of showing one’s face, aiming to eliminate any semblance of temptation, at least according to the extremist ideology of the Taliban.
Their brand of Islamic fundamentalism is predicated on strict control over public and private morality, asserting dominion over the land and its people.

The global community watches with anxiety as this marks another step towards an enforced virtue that aligns with power consolidation rather than true Islamic teachings.
Unquestionably, these increased restrictions represent a point of no return for Afghanistan, driving it further away from human rights compliance and thriving in repression and discrimination.

Women are Stripped of Basic Freedoms

The Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has endorsed a law consisting of 35 articles issued by the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue, which was created specifically to enforce compliance with a distorted interpretation of Sharia law.
This year alone has seen over 13,000 arrests for violations.

Formalized for the first time since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, these laws impose extremely strict regulations that stand out not for mere social differences from the “Western world” but for blatant and violent human rights violations.
Afghan women now face even more limitations and obligations, adding to pre-existing prohibitions, such as having to cover their faces in public.

Moreover, women are now barred from speaking publicly—encompassing conversations, reading aloud, reciting, and singing—as their voices are deemed private and necessary to avoid temptation.
Travel without a male family member is not allowed either, further restricting their autonomy.

Broader Implications of the Taliban’s Regime

While men face fewer additional restrictions, their rules remain as stringent as before: wearing shorts above the knees is forbidden and maintaining a beard is obligatory.
Meanwhile, women cannot attend university, associate with non-relatives, or wear revealing clothing.
Their outings are limited to essential needs, and secondary education for girls has been eradicated, along with beauty salons and hairdressers.

These regulations go beyond gender: homosexuality, adultery, gambling, drug use, and friendships with non-Muslims are criminalized, while creating and disseminating images of living beings on electronic devices, listening to music, or playing musical instruments are also prohibited.
This array of restrictions, labeled as necessary for “promoting virtue and eliminating vice” by spokesperson Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq, clearly serves another agenda, demonstrating an oppressive reality for the Afghan population.