The law also includes rules on men’s attire, and forbids homosexuality and playing music in public…reports Asian Lite News
South Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Wednesday expressed concerns over a new set of laws recently issued by the Taliban in Afghanistan and called on authorities to respect human rights.
Published by the Taliban’s justice ministry last week, the 35-article law has sparked international criticism for restricting women’s rights due to clauses that require women to cover their faces and bodies outside of their homes, and ban them from speaking in public, Yonhap news agency reported.
The law also includes rules on men’s attire, and forbids homosexuality and playing music in public.
“We are profoundly concerned and disheartened by Afghanistan’s so-called ‘morality’ law, which starkly defies global efforts for meaningful engagement with the country,” Cho wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Women’s rights and human dignity are at the heart of a nation’s growth. We urge the Taliban to heed global concern, and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Taliban authorities have informally introduced restrictions, such as those on women’s education, since taking power in August 2021.
An Afghan woman, who was just a year away from completing her law degree, told Global News last year that she “couldn’t speak for a few minutes” upon learning she would have to forgo her education.
“Home is like jail for us and we will fight until we legalize our basic human rights without any discrimination,” she said.
In 2022, the Taliban also prohibited women from working at non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Another woman who spoke to Global News shared that her family was plunged into poverty after she lost her job at an NGO.
“I am the breadwinner of my family. We are just four persons in my family: me, my sister and my parents. My father is sick now. We don’t have anything in our kitchen to prepare for dinner or for our night,” she said. “It’s so hard for me. I don’t know how I can continue my life.”
In addition to the new restrictions on women, the laws passed on Wednesday also prohibit the playing of music, forbid men from shaving their beards, and require adherence to prayer and religious fasts.
The laws mandate that drivers must not transport women without a male guardian, and both passengers and drivers are required to perform prayers at specified times.
Media in Afghanistan are now required to follow Sharia law, which bans the publication of images of living beings, in accordance with the Islamic prohibition against idolatry.
A UN report from last month indicated that the ministry was fostering a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through its edicts and enforcement methods.
Fiona Frazer, head of the human rights service at the UN mission in Afghanistan, said, “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.”
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