No long-distance travel for women without a male relative: Taliban | Issues of Women’s Rights

Afghan officials say women should be accompanied by their close relatives if they travel more than 72km, which has been criticized.

Officials in the Taliban in Afghanistan say women who want to travel long distances should not be allowed to do so unless they are accompanied by their close relatives.

The directive issued on Sunday by the Ministry of Health and Safety, which also called on motorists to reject the ride of women without a scarf, has criticized activists for their rights.

The move followed the Taliban’s ban on many women working in the civil service to return to work because of their plight. August 15 seizure of power, and since girls are not allowed to go to high school.

It came even though the group wanted to create a global image to do so restoration assistance suspension when the previous government disrupted the final round of riots to oust the United States military.

“Women who travel more than 72km (45 kilometers) should not ride if they are not following a close relative,” said a spokesman for the ministry, Sadeq Akif Muhajir.

The new guide, posted on social media, also urged people to stop singing in their cars.

In recent weeks, the ministry has asked television stations in Afghanistan to stop showing women’s theaters and theater performances. It called again women journalists on TV wear a scarve on the head when showing.

Muhajir said Sunday hijab (scarf) will also be needed for women seeking travel.

The Taliban meaning of hijab – which can range from a hair covering to a face mask or a veil – is not well known, and many Afghan women already wear scarves.

‘Making women prisoners’

Human Rights Watch has challenged the guidelines.

“The new law is working … ahead of making women prisoners,” Heather Barr, a spokeswoman for the women’s rights group, told AFP.

“It blocks opportunities for them to travel freely, to move to another city, to do business, (or) to escape if they are experiencing domestic violence,” adds Barr.

Earlier this month, the Taliban issued a decree in the name of their top leader ordering the government to comply. women’s rights, but did not mention girls’ educational opportunities.

On Sunday, Afghanistan’s higher education minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani said officials were discussing the issue.

“Islamic Emirate is not against women’s education but against education,” Haqqani told reporters.

“We are working on building an Islamic center for women to study … it may take some time,” she said, noting when girls would return to school and university courses across the country.

Women’s rights were severely curtailed during the Taliban regime in the 1990’s.

He was forced to wear a burqa over his face, was only allowed to leave the house by a male supervisor and was banned from work and education.

Respect for women’s rights has been repeatedly cited by donors around the world as a way to restore aid.

The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan faces a “famine” in the winter, estimated at 22 million citizens. lack of “extreme” food..