Afghan Women’s Rights Suppressed, Hindering National Progress

In recent weeks, the walls of Afghanistan’s capital have been plastered with slogans about women’s hijab: “Unveiling is a sign of ignorance” and “Hijab is a father’s honour and the pride of Muslims.”

These messages, from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, enforce the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law. Women remain at the sharp end of these measures.

Presented as efforts to uphold public morality, the slogans have instead weighed heavily on women’s mental and emotional well-being.

Many women report feeling anxious and unsafe. Even those fully dressed in hijab according to the law fear stepping outside, not because of their attire, but due to the tense and judgmental environment. Slogans on the walls “echo fear, not faith.”

Women are not allowed to wear perfume, laugh aloud, or speak openly in front of men. They must avoid interaction with non-relative or non-Muslim men and are required to always walk with a male guardian in public.

Parwin, a young woman on a city bus, recalled when Kabul’s walls were decorated with murals promoting women’s rights, peace, and equality. “The Taliban have replaced those messages with restrictions that limit women,” she said. “Women need education, not slogans that scare them.”

Maliha, another resident, said, “Women are born free and should not be cut off from society. These restrictions do not protect us; they exclude us.”

The Taliban promised to ‘preserve Islamic values,’ but instead have subjected women to repression and exclusion. Islam grants women the right to work, participate in society, and receive education. Using religious values to suppress women misrepresents the faith.

The government should focus on supporting women with no homes, widows, and those in need by providing shelter, jobs, and dignity.

Four years after the Taliban returned to power, life has become harder for Afghan women. Restrictions have grown tighter, banning girls from school after grade six, preventing women from working outside their homes, and effectively removing half the population from public life.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said the slogans promote Islamic morals. Yet a law passed last year with 35 articles severely restricts women’s personal freedoms.

Afghan women live without basic rights in a deeply stressful environment. If these policies continue, they threaten an entire generation’s future and hinder the country’s overall progress and development.