The Taliban have banned windows that look onto areas where Afghan women could be seen inside their homes.
"Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts," government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid posted on X on Saturday.
Newsweek has contacted the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, via email, for comment.
Why It Matters
This is the latest move taken by the group in its repression of women since the U.S. and its allies pulled out of Afghanistan in February 2020.
The Taliban have taken multiple steps to walk back women's rights since taking over the country in August 2021, including banning education for girls beyond grade six, banning women from universities and, most recently, banning women's voices and bare faces in public.
What To Know
A decree by the Taliban's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada states that new buildings should not have windows that show "the courtyard, kitchen, neighbor's well and other places usually used by women," according to a translation by France24.
Existing windows looking into such areas should be blocked with a wall or should have their views obstructed in some other way "to avoid nuisances caused to neighbors."
What People Are Saying
Shabnam Nasimi, a former U.K. government policy adviser, said on X on Sunday: "3+ years since Kabul fell, and the world watches in silence. For shame."
Nasimi—a former adviser to the U.K.'s ministers for Afghan resettlement and refugees and co-founder of the Friends of Afghan Women Network—has repeatedly spoken out against the Taliban's treatment of women.
In another post, she added: "How much longer will the world stand by and watch?"
Earlier this month, the United Nations urged the Taliban to respect the rights of women in Afghanistan, warning that the future of the nation depends on safeguarding the rights of all its citizens.
Marking this year's International Human Rights Day, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan highlighted the importance of human rights and criticized the Taliban for fostering systemic discrimination, particularly against women and girls.
Head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva said: "There is an ongoing, dangerous erosion of human rights protections, with women and girls bearing the brunt."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen what the world's response to this latest move will be. Newsweek has contacted the Trump-Vance transition team, via email, for comment.
The U.S. and many other countries, do not formally recognize the Taliban, or any other entity as Afghanistan's government. In November, Russian lawmakers put forward a bill that could pave the way for the Taliban to be removed from the country's list of recognized terrorist organizations.
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