The Taliban orders women to wear head-to-toe clothing in public – NPR

Taliban officials announced harsh new restrictions on women’s movement and dress, suggesting the increasing dominance of the group’s hard-line leaders. The rules seemed to confirm the fears of many Afghans that the Taliban remained unchanged after two decades out of power.

The Taliban’s acting minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, Khaled Hanafi, issued a directive on the clothing of women and pubescent girls, which the Taliban’s supreme leader approved.

The Taliban plans to punish women for defying their male guardians, who will be held accountable if the woman defies the rules. This transforms Afghan women into minors in the eyes of Taliban officials.

Afghan clerics want teen girls back in school. Still, the Taliban’s new directive contradicts numerous assurances that they would respect women’s rights and makes it harder for the international community to work with the Taliban to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

1. The Taliban orders women to wear head-to-toe clothing in public  NPR
2. Taliban order Afghan women to cover faces again  Reuters
3. Taliban decree orders women in Afghanistan to cover their faces  CNN
4. Afghanistan’s Taliban orders women to cover up head to toe  . The Associated Press – en Español
5. Taliban announce women must cover faces in public, say burqa is best  Yahoo News
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