Timeline of Taliban Restrictions of Women's Rights

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Timeline of Taliban Restrictions of Women’s Rights
Louisa Spector | July 27, 2022

August 2021

On August 25, the Taliban issued a temporary advisory for women to stay home from work and nonessential travel “for their safety”. At a news conference, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said women should remain at home because Taliban soldiers were not trained to respect them. Mujahid explained this decision would ensure that women would not be disrespected or hurt. Today, due to restrictions prohibiting coed employment and independent travel for women, most women have not returned to the workforce.

September 2021

On August 30th, the Taliban banned coeducation, meaning girls could not attend school with boys or be taught by male teachers. Just a few weeks later, on September 17, girls’ education secondary was entirely halted with the promise that it would return in the spring. However, when girls showed up for their classes on March 23rd, they were turned away by the Taliban. Today, girls are still banned from attending public school after the 6th grade, and attendance levels before 6th grade have dropped significantly.

September 2021

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was closed and is replaced with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice. Under the Taliban, it will likely never return. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was the foremost agency for promoting women’s rights and advancement in Afghanistan. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice, on the other hand, serves as the morality police in Afghanistan. This ministry is a holdover from the first Taliban regime and is responsible for most of the Taliban’s edicts restricting women and their enforcement.
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May 2022

Women are ordered to cover themselves from head to toe in public, only revealing their eyes. Taliban officials explained that a burka was the preferred form of covering but recommended not leaving the house at all, as it is the best form of hijab. Taliban officials also decreed that male relatives would be responsible for compliance and face punitive measures if the edict was not enforced. This edict effectively confines women within the home, except for essential duties.

https://feminist.org/news/timeline-of-taliban-restrictions-of-womens-rights/