Women in Afghanistan have been banned from reading and singing in public under a new law passed by the Taliban.
The laws, issued last Wednesday, are part of a strict “vice and virtue legislation” approved by the group’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
They cover aspects of everyday life including travelling on public transport, music and shaving.
Article 13 says women must veil their body at all times in public and adds a face covering is essential to avoid temptation as well as tempting others. It also states clothing should not be thin, tight or short.
They are some of the strictest measures imposed on women since the Taliban took power in the country in 2021.
It also says a woman’s voice is considered private and should not be heard by others. It also forbidswomen from looking at men who are not their relatives.
Other rules in the document ban the publication of images of living beings, which could harm Afghanistan’s struggling media.
The laws also require passengers and drivers to stop for prayers at set times.
These rules are part of the Taliban’s efforts to enforce their version of Islamic law. The United Nations has expressed concern, saying these restrictions could make life even harder for people in Afghanistan, especially women and girls.
A recent UN report warned the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is creating fear and intimidation across the country. The UN also warned that the ministry’s growing power could have serious consequences for Afghan society.
Earlier this month, nineteen female medical students from Afghanistan arrived in Scotland to continue with their degrees, after the Taliban’s rise to power meant they were forbidden from continuing their education.
The women, who are all studying to become doctors, landed safely in Edinburgh despite a last-minute drama in which two of them were initially prevented from getting on the plane.
A crucial intervention by UK consular staff in Islamabad in Pakistan – where the women were flying from – allowed them all to travel to Scotland, where they will continue with their studies.
They were met at Edinburgh Airport by John and Lorna Norgrove – the parents of Scottish aid worker Linda Norgrove, who died in Afghanistan in 2010.
The charity set up in her memory, the Linda Norgrove Foundation, worked with the Scottish and UK governments to bring the 19 young women to the UK so they can complete their courses.
