With the Taliban intensifying restrictions on women in Afghanistan, women are more constrained than ever by the group’s ignorance and backwardness, finding life in these conditions intolerable. In a recent move, Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has prohibited adult women from hearing the voices of other adult women. He declared that women are not allowed to recite or chant loudly in the presence of other women. Many women and girls have condemned this restriction as shameful and contrary to human dignity, saying that the Taliban are mocking both themselves and the women of Afghanistan. These women and girls, worried about their future under the Taliban’s flag, fear that the restrictions may lead to permanent confinement within their homes.
Psychologists, too, are concerned about the mental and emotional state of girls under such harsh conditions, noting that increased restrictions have heightened the inclination towards suicide among girls deprived of education.
Maryam, one of the girls denied access to education, views the ban on women hearing each other’s voices as a new restriction on women’s activities. She expresses her fear of even stricter limitations on women and girls imposed by the Taliban: “I fear we may end up permanently confined to our homes, with this group even forbidding us from taking a few steps outside. Although free movement is already prohibited, I worry they might even prevent us from going anywhere, even with a male guardian.”
Three years of educational deprivation and the Taliban’s growing restrictions on women have led Maryam to suffer from severe depression, which has worsened with the latest ban. She adds that she no longer has any hope for freedom or the reopening of educational doors to girls: “When I hear bad news about further restrictions on women’s activities, my mental state deteriorates, and I get severe headaches and stomach pains. It’s been a few days since the latest bad news, but I still can’t come to terms with it. Our lives have become unbearably painful and sad.”
Asma (pseudonym), a journalist working for a Taliban-controlled media outlet, described Khalid Hanafi’s recent comments on banning women from hearing other women’s voices as disgraceful. She says these restrictions are yet another order stripping women of their rights.
This journalist adds that the Taliban seek to completely erase women from society and may even exclude them from fields such as journalism and healthcare. According to her, the ban on women’s voices and images on visual media indicates the complete removal of women from public life: “Every restriction imposed by the Taliban on women is a step toward their total erasure. Currently, journalism, teaching, and healthcare are the only fields where a few women still work, but such shameful restrictions might even strip women of these professions. The severe restrictions on visual media also hamper women’s presence in the media.”
Over the past three years, hundreds of women in Afghanistan have suffered from the Taliban’s escalating restrictions, which have led to widespread severe depression among women and girls. Psychologists, who are concerned about the mental and emotional state of girls under Taliban rule, report that suicidal tendencies have increased among girls.
Husna (pseudonym), a psychologist who has been involved in research and treatment due to the rising mental health issues among girls deprived of education, notes that most of her clients suffer from severe depression and have suicidal tendencies. She attributes the current mental state of women and girls to the Taliban’s ongoing restrictions and the closure of schools and universities. She states, “The continuation of restrictions and the closure of schools and universities have led to a rise in mental illnesses among women and girls. Most of our clients suffer from severe depression and have suicidal tendencies, and in our group therapy sessions, we try to help them overcome these thoughts. Nonetheless, one of our patients took her own life.”
Women activists in exile have also condemned the increasing restrictions and Khalid Hanafi’s recent statements as inhumane and called for the prosecution of the Taliban.
Hakima Mahdawi, a protesting woman, labeled the recent comments by the Taliban’s Minister for the propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice as an insult to women, saying that prohibiting women from hearing each other’s voices is essentially mocking them. She considers the Taliban’s prohibition to be a sign of the group’s extreme ignorance and extremism: “The ignorance of this group is appalling. They are treating women as mere playthings and imposing restrictions that have no religious justification. These prohibitions have caused many of the women I know to suffer from psychological disorders.”
She adds that the international community and human rights organizations have remained silent about the Taliban’s crimes and restrictions against women, doing nothing to support Afghan women and girls: “I was shocked when I heard this news, but the world doesn’t care. The issue of women has been forgotten. All they do is talk, but no concrete action is taken against the Taliban.”
The Taliban’s latest ban on women has sparked widespread domestic and global reactions. Some social media users have expressed that they may now have to learn sign language, as sound itself is deemed offensive to the Taliban. Others have commented on the absurdity of the Taliban’s concerns over women’s voices in a world that has moved far beyond such issues.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the ban on women hearing other women’s voices horrifying, condemning it and stating that the Taliban seek to eliminate Afghan women from society.
Amnesty International also reacted to Khalid Hanafi’s recent statements, releasing a statement saying that the Taliban’s restrictions have significantly impacted women’s lives in Afghanistan. Amnesty International has called on the group to lift all restrictions on women.
It is worth noting that previously, the Taliban had also labeled women’s voices as “awrah” (something to be concealed) and declared the public broadcast of women’s voices to be sinful, thereby prohibiting it.
You can read the Persian version of this Afghan woman’s story here:
