Taliban de facto authorities of Afghanistan have ordered women and girls of the country to leave their domestic space only in the case of necessity. Then, they have ordered women to wear head-to- toe clothing in public.
Time and again, we have been witnessing the disproportionate impact of Taliban de facto authorities on women and girls in the country. For example, after regaining power, the Taliban confirmed in the month of September that the secondary schools would reopen however, only boys would be getting the opportunity to be educated. Even female teachers were unable to resume work in the country.
UNAMA is deeply concerned with today’s announcement by the Taliban that all women must cover their faces in public, should only leave their homes in cases of necessity, & that violations will lead to the punishment of their male relatives.
Full statement: https://t.co/D7XEsmv1te pic.twitter.com/Iw35PbDju5— UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) May 7, 2022
Furthermore, even the latest recommendations issued by the de facto authorities are far from new as a similar whittling of women’s rights could be seen in the Taliban’s previous rule between 1996 and 2001.
A few weeks ago, the decision to postpone secondary schooling for Afghan girls was condemned internationally. Adding on, back in December, when the Ministry of Women’s Affair imposed restrictions on movement on women from travelling more than 45 miles in the absence of a close male relative.
The Taliban have since taken over Afghanistan, reintroduced restrictions on freedom, movement, and so forth, which have a detrimental effect on women in the country. By restricting someone’s basic rights because of their gender, these restrictions are simply limiting fundamental human rights.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), mentioned in the statement that, ” this decision contradicts numerous assurances regarding the respect for and protection of all Afghan’s human rights, including those women and girls, that had been provided to the international community by the Taliban representatives during the discussions and negotiations over the past decade.”
“UNAMA will immediately request meetings with the Taliban de facto authorities to seek clarification on the status of this decision. UNAMA will also engage in consultations with members of the international community regarding its implications,” added in the statement.