The Taliban toughen their regime and prohibit women from traveling alone and without a veil

The recommendation, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and circulated on social networks, it also asks drivers to accept women in their vehicles only if they wear “Islamic headscarves”.

“Women who travel more than 45 miles (72 km) cannot make the trip if they are not accompanied by a close family member,” Ministry spokesman Sadeq Akif Muhajir told AFP, who specified that the companion must be a man.

This directive comes a few weeks after the ministry asked Afghan broadcasters not to broadcast “soap operas and soap operas with women”, and to ensure that journalists wear “Islamic headscarves” on screen.

The Taliban do not specify what they understand by “Islamic veil”, if it is a scarf or if it also covers the face, since most Afghan women wear garments that cover much more.

Since coming to power in August, the Taliban have imposed various restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, despite initial promises that their regime would be less strict than the first (1996-2001).

In several provinces, local authorities agreed to open schools to girls, although many of them are still unable to attend.

In early December, a decree on behalf of the supreme leader of the movement called on the government to enforce women’s rights, but that document does not mention the right to education.

Activists hope that the Taliban’s efforts to gain recognition from the international community and win back much-needed aid Afghanistan, one of the poorest in the world, will lead them to make concessions.

During their first rule, the Taliban forced women to wear the burqa. They could only leave the house accompanied by a man and were not allowed to work or study.