UN envoy alarmed by Taliban’s harsh new morality code for Afghan women

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Sunday expressed deep concern over the recent enactment of a stringent morality law by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMA, condemned the “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice” –which consists of 35 articles– as a “distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future.”

The UN envoy said the new set of laws empowers moral inspectors to “threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions.”

“It extends the already intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation,” she added.

What are Taliban’s new rules for women?
The new morality law, ratified by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, is part of an intensified effort to enforce their harsh interpretation of Islamic principles through a ministry dedicated to the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.”

This ministry, established shortly after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, has now formalised its vice and virtue laws in a 114-page document. These laws regulate various aspects of daily life, including public transportation, music, social interactions, and even the appearance and behaviour of individuals in public spaces.

A significant focus of the law is the regulation of women’s conduct.

Article 13 mandates that women must cover their bodies entirely in public, with face coverings deemed essential to prevent temptation.

Clothing should not be thin, tight or short.

The law further stipulates that women should not speak, sing, or read aloud in public, as their voices are considered intimate.

It also prohibits women from looking at men to whom they are not related, by blood or marriage, and vice versa.

Women should veil themselves in front of all male strangers, including Muslims, and in front of all non-Muslims to avoid being corrupted.

Public transportation is also tightly regulated, with solo female travellers forbidden and passengers required to perform prayers at designated times.

International observers, including the U.N., have warned that these laws are contributing to an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, particularly for women and girls.

“Given the multiple issues outlined in the report, the position expressed by the de facto authorities that this oversight will be increasing and expanding gives cause for significant concern for all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said Fiona Frazer, the head of the human rights service at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, however, has dismissed these concerns, asserting that the laws are necessary for maintaining moral order in the country.