A top UN official warned Sunday that the Taliban's new vice and virtue laws, which include bans on women's voices and uncovered faces in public, provide a “distressing outlook” for Afghanistan's future.
Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the UN mission in the country, said the law expanded “already intolerable restrictions” on the rights of women and girls, with “even a woman’s voice” outside the home apparently considered a moral offense.
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Wednesday issued the country's first set of laws to prevent crime and promote virtue. The laws include a requirement for women to cover their faces, bodies and voices outside the home.
The law empowers the Ministry of Vice and Virtue to be at the forefront of regulating personal behavior and handing out penalties such as warnings or arrest if its enforcers accuse Afghans of breaking the law.
“After decades of war and amid a dire humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve better than being threatened or imprisoned if they are late for prayers, look at someone other than their family member, or possess a photo of their loved one,” Otunbayeva said.
The mission said it was studying the newly ratified law and its implications for Afghans, as well as its potential impact on UN and other humanitarian assistance.
Taliban officials were not immediately available for comment.
In a statement broadcast on Sunday by state-owned broadcaster RTA, Deputy Minister of Welfare and Welfare Mohammad Khaled Hanafi said no one has the right to violate women's rights based on inappropriate customs.
“We are committed to ensuring all women’s rights under Islamic law and anyone who has a complaint in this regard will be heard and responded to,” he added.
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said last year that Afghan women were being given a “comfortable and prosperous” life, despite decrees barring them from many public places, education and most jobs.
The UN has previously said formal recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate rulers was unlikely while restrictions on women and girls remained in place.
Although no country recognizes the Taliban, many countries in the region have ties to the rulers.
Last Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates received the credentials of the Taliban ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state.
A UAE official said the decision reaffirms the government’s determination to contribute to building bridges to help the Afghan people. “This includes providing humanitarian assistance through development and reconstruction projects, and supporting efforts towards de-escalation and regional stability.”
Otunbayeva is scheduled to report to the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan on September 18, three years after the Taliban stopped girls' education beyond sixth grade. (lt/ab)
