UN condemns Taliban law to silence women in Afghanistan

A UN diplomatic mission in Afghanistan has condemned a recent Taliban law imposing severe restrictions on women, including making it compulsory to wear a veil and banning them from speaking loudly in public.

The international body has expressed concern over the enactment of a “new morality law” that imposes broad restrictions on personal conduct and grants the morality police significant powers, the UN said in a statement.

UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva stressed that the law also prohibits women from speaking loudly in public spaces.

The Taliban have consolidated many of the restrictions they had been implementing in the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Act, passed on Thursday. This law requires women to wear the full veil, or hijab, and also regulates men’s clothing, forcing them to grow beards.

Since coming to power in 2021, the Taliban have implemented a series of bans that have particularly affected women’s rights, including suspending higher education for them.

China and the United Arab Emirates have taken steps toward diplomatic recognition of the Taliban, appointing fundamentalist ambassadors, despite global criticism. However, most of the international community remains reluctant to accept the Taliban government’s authority and remains cautious about the restrictions imposed.

With information from Deutsche Welle