Afghanistan: Taliban ban women from unaccompanied travel

The Taliban announced Sunday, December 26 that women wishing to travel long distances must be accompanied by a male relative, another sign of the toughening of the regime despite their initial promises.

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The recommendation, published by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and which circulated on social networks, also calls on drivers to accept women in their vehicle only if they wear the "

".

"

" ministry spokesman Sadeq Akif Muhajir told AFP. specifying that the accompanying person had to be a man.

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This directive comes a few weeks after the ministry's request to Afghan televisions to stop broadcasting "soap operas and series in which women" play, and to ensure that women journalists wear "

" on the screen. The Taliban do not specify what they mean by "

", whether it is a simple headscarf, already worn by the majority of Afghan women, or a more covering veil.

Since coming to power in August, they have imposed various restrictions on women and girls, despite initial promises that their regime would be less strict than during their first reign (1996-2001). In several provinces, local authorities have agreed to reopen schools for girls, even though many of them across the country still cannot attend.

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Earlier in December, a decree on behalf of the supreme leader of the movement called on the government to enforce women's rights, but the decree did not address the right to education.

Activists hope that the Taliban's efforts to gain recognition by the international community and once again receive much-needed aid to the country - among the world's poorest - will cause them to make concessions.

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During their first reign, the Taliban made it compulsory for women to wear the burqa.

They could only leave their homes when accompanied by a man and were prohibited from working and studying.

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