Taliban has intensified restrictions on women’s movements in public spaces following the introduction of a new law, according to reports from women and girls in Afghanistan.
The increased limitations, they say, have created significant obstacles to their daily lives.
Sources have provided footage to Amu, confirming that a Taliban checkpoint recently fined women who were traveling without a male guardian, known as a mahram. The women, who were working at a health center, were each fined 40 Afghanis, according to a document reviewed by Amu.
“The ban on women’s movement without a male guardian has caused enormous challenges,” said Shukria, a resident of Kabul. Another woman from Herat shared similar concerns: “When a woman travels, she faces many difficulties. Drivers refuse to pick her up because she doesn’t have a male guardian.”
Marzia, a 24-year-old student from Herat University’s political law faculty, has been unable to continue her education after the Taliban closed universities to female students. Despite earning a scholarship to study in Pakistan, Marzia has not been able to leave the country due to the Taliban’s requirement for a male guardian.
“I received a scholarship and wanted to go to Pakistan to continue my studies. I tried several times, but the Taliban refused, demanding a mahram,” Marzia said. “As you know, the cost of a Pakistan visa is high.” She added that her only male relative, an eight-year-old brother, is too young to act as a guardian, and her father is in critical health.
The Taliban initially announced in December 2021 that women could not travel more than 72 kilometers from their homes without a male guardian. In February 2022, the group extended this restriction to air travel, banning women from flying domestically or internationally without a mahram.
The new law, introduced by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, further tightens these restrictions, extending them to even short-distance travel. Article 20 of the law prohibits drivers from transporting women who are not accompanied by a male guardian.
These measures have sparked concerns among women and girls, particularly in households where no male guardian is present, as they face increased difficulties navigating daily life under the Taliban’s rule.
