Afghanistan’s Taliban officials said on Sunday that women wishing to travel anything other than short distances should not be offered transportation unless they have a close male relative with them. The guidelines issued by the ministry for the promotion of virtue and vice of prevention have called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to women wearing Islamic hijab.
“Women traveling more than 45 miles (72 kilometres) should not be offered a ride if they are not accompanied by a family member,” ministry spokesman Sadiq Akif Muhajir told AFP on Sunday. The guidance, circulated on social media networks, comes weeks after the ministry asked Afghanistan’s television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring female actors.
The ministry had also asked women TV journalists to wear hijab while appearing. Muhajir said on Sunday that hijab would also be required for women seeking transport. The ministry’s directive also asked people to stop playing music in their vehicles.
The Taliban’s interpretation of the hijab – which can range from covering the hair to a veil of the face or the entire body – is unclear, and most Afghan women already wear headscarves. Since taking power in August, the Taliban have imposed a number of restrictions on women and girls, despite promising a softer regime than their first term in power in the 1990s.
In several provinces, local Taliban officials have been persuaded to reopen schools – but many girls are still cut off from secondary education. Earlier this month, the Islamic group issued a decree named after its supreme leader directing the government to enforce women’s rights.
The decree did not mention girls’ access to education. Activists hope the Taliban’s fight to gain international recognition and return to one of the world’s poorest countries will give them concessions to women.
Respect for women’s rights has been repeatedly cited by major global donors as a condition for resumption of aid. Women’s rights were severely curtailed during the Taliban’s last term in power. They were then forced to wear a fully-covered burqa, were allowed to leave home with only a male patron, and were banned from work and education.
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