7 hours ago
Afghan women are required to cover their faces in public for the first time in decades, under a Taliban decree.
Failure to comply with this decision may result in women ignoring official warnings to their male family members.
The Taliban imposed the burqa while they took power in the 1990s.
But the movement has not required it to be worn in Afghan cities since it took control of the country last year.
Many women in Afghanistan already wear the burqa. But some of them, especially in urban areas, only wear headscarves.
The decree was issued by the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice of the Taliban government.
Taliban officials called the decree “advice,” but they set out a specific set of escalatory steps for anyone who does not comply:
- Initially, the woman will visit the woman’s home and talk to her husband, brother or father
- In the next step, the male guardian is summoned to the ministry
- The guardian may appear in court, and can be imprisoned for up to three days
Many of the strict rules the Taliban impose on daily life target women.
Afghanistan has become the only country in the world to impose restrictions on education by gender, a major sticking point in the Taliban’s attempts to gain international legitimacy.
Girls were prevented from receiving secondary education, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs was dissolved, and in many cases women are not allowed to work.
