a list of prohibitions that women may face

End of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, perspectives for Afghan women and girls suddenly it became extremely risky. Although the Islamist group has sought to reassure the population, the memory of its previous regime, between 1996 and 2001, floods women with terror.

Without going any further, the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) recently published a compiled prohibitions that women have faced in the past in the territories occupied by the Taliban.

“The Taliban they treat women worse than their animals (…) Women do not have the slightest importance in the eyes of the Taliban, less when they are engaged in procreation, to satisfy the sexual desires of men or to perform heavy household chores on a daily basis “, specifies the group. in the text.

RAWA was established in 1977 in Kabul, Afghanistan, as a political and social organization that fights for human rights and social justice in the country.

The 29 prohibitions

1. Total ban on work by women outside the home. Only a few female doctors and nurses are allowed to work in some hospitals in Kabul.

2. Total ban on any kind of activity by women outside the home, unless they are accompanied by their “mahram” (the next of male relatives, whether father, brother or husband).

3. Forbidden to enter into agreements with male traders.

4. Forbidden to be treated by male doctors.

5. It is forbidden to study in schools, universities or any other educational establishment (the Taliban have turned girls’ schools into religious seminaries).

6. Women should wear a burqa that covers them from head to toe.

7. Whipping, beatings and verbal violence against women who do not dress according to Taliban rules, or against women who are not accompanied by their “mahram”.

8. Whipping in public against women who do not hide their ankles.

9. Public stoning of women accused of having had sex outside of marriage.

10. Don’t wear makeup.

11. It is forbidden to speak or shake hands with men who are not his “mahram”.

12. It is forbidden to laugh out loud.

13. It is forbidden to wear high heels, which can make noises when walking (a man cannot hear a woman’s footsteps).

14. It is forbidden to take a taxi without your “mahram”.

15. It is forbidden to be present on radio, television or in public meetings of any kind.

16. It is forbidden to practice sports or to enter any sports center or club.

17. It is forbidden to ride a bicycle or a motorbike, not even with their “mahram”.

18. It is forbidden to wear colored clothes. In Taliban terms, these are “sexually attractive colors”.

19. It is forbidden to assemble for vacation or recreational purposes.

20. It is forbidden to wash clothes in rivers or in public places.

21. Modification of the entire list of streets and squares including the word “woman”. 22. Women are prohibited from looking out of the balconies of their apartments or houses.

23. Compulsory opacity of all windows, so that women are not visible from outside their homes.

24. Tailors are prohibited from measuring women and sewing women’s clothing.

25. Women’s access to public toilets is prohibited.

26. Women and men are prohibited from traveling in the same group, now divided into “men only” or “women only”.

27. It is forbidden to wear flared pants, even if they are worn under the burqa.

28. Photographing women is prohibited.

29. Prohibition of the existence of images of women printed in magazines and books, or hung on the walls of houses and shops.

No more restrictions for everyone

In addition to this, RAWA also added a list of more general bans imposed by the Taliban:

–Listening to prohibited music, not only to women but also to men.

– Forbidden to watch movies, TV and videos.

– It is forbidden to celebrate the traditional New Year (Nowroz) on March 21. the taliban they proclaimed that this holiday is pagan.

– Labor Day has been deleted because it was considered a “communist” holiday.

– Anyone with a non-Islamic name must change it.

– Young Afghans were forced to shave their hair.

– They ordered the men to wear Islamic clothes and to wear caps.

– They ordered the men not to shave or trim their beards, which must grow long enough to fit in a fist under their chin.

– They order that everyone attend prayers in mosques five times a day.

– It is forbidden to look after pigeons and train birds, as this was considered non-Islamic activities. Those who violated this rule were imprisoned and the slaughtered birds. The kite had also been banned.

– They forced all the spectators, when they encouraged the athletes, a cantar Allah-u-Akbar (God is great) giving applause.

Distrust in the air

For those who lived through the first Taliban regime, this list looks a lot like some of the restrictions imposed on women between 1996 and 2001.

During these years, and mounted to an ultra-conservative Islamic view of the group imposed restrictions and punishments on women, such as stoning, amputations and executions, until they were overthrown by the US-led invasion.

Despite the fact that the Taliban have increased their gestures of appeasement towards the population since they entered Kabul on Sunday, for many Afghans, it will be difficult to trust.

“People are afraid of the unknown. The Taliban patrol the city in small convoys. They don’t bother anyone, but of course people are afraida trader in Kabul told AFP on Tuesday.

With information from the AFP agency