(LibertySociety.com) – On December 26, the Taliban announced women in the country could no longer travel more than 45 miles without a close male relative. The extremist group took over Afghanistan after US troops withdrew from the region in August and have increasingly restricted freedoms of Afghan women and girls, including school attendance or the ability to work.
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported the radicals prohibited music in vehicles as well. Additionally, women must wear a hijab to ride in them.
The Taliban say women who want to travel long distances of 72km (45 miles) or more by road should only be offered transport if accompanied by a male relative. @FroghWazhma says in reality it means drivers will be scared to take women anywhere at all https://t.co/E33q3NtIqM
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) December 27, 2021
When the Taliban was last in charge of Afghanistan, they imposed similar restrictions. Women weren’t allowed on the street without a related man in tow. Those who broke the rules were subject to beatings or stoning punishments if caught. When the United States unseated the extremists in 2001, many Afghan women became activists, judges, and politicians. After the country’s fall in 2021, many are now afraid for their lives.
Associate director of women’s rights for Human Rights Watch, Heather Barr, stated the move prevents women from seeking opportunities, relocating, or escaping domestic violence.
Although the Taliban announced shortly after the takeover of Afghanistan that women had nothing to fear while claiming they wanted to preserve women’s rights, the group’s actions have shown they have different intentions altogether.
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