By Genesis Oquendo
On December 29, the Taliban Administrative Affairs Office on X, formerly Twitter, announced a new strict five-point decree on “securing” the privacy of women.
The decree issued by the Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada specifically calls to ban the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook places where Afghan women are “typically” visible, such as kitchens and courtyards. For already existing buildings, property owners will be urged to block the windows or construct a wall. This has been enacted under the “belief” that women being seen could “lead to obscene acts.”
However, the enactment of this decree is on par to the consistent erasure of female personhood apparent in current Afghanistan.
Under the authority of the current Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, more than a hundred decrees and directives have infringed on the rights of women; his rule marked a drastic shift from more than three years ago when women were eligible to run for President.
The most notorious limits enacted include prohibiting girls’ education beyond sixth grade, closing advance learning programs funded by UNICEF, restricting access to public spaces—which include health centers, restaurants, gyms, national parks etc. — and mandating proper hijab practices, particularly the burqa.
In response to such edicts, the U.N. has condemned the gender apartheid administered by the Taliban and has conducted studies to account for the future of women in Afghanistan.
As of now, the Taliban continues to enforce its restrictive policies to hinder the progression of women in society and has limited lifesaving humanitarian aid.
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