Taliban decree no long road trips for women without male escort

Taliban decree no long road trips for women without male escort

The National News

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said on Sunday that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered road transport unless they are accompanied by a close male relative.

The guidance issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice drew condemnation from rights activists and called on vehicle owners to refuse rides to women not wearing a hijab.

The move follows the Taliban barring many women in public-sector roles from returning to work after they sized power in August, and as girls remain largely cut off from state secondary schooling.

It also comes despite the extremists seeking to project a moderate image internationally in a bid to restore aid suspended when the previous government imploded during the final stages of a US military withdrawal.

“Women travelling for more than 45 miles [72 kilometres] should not be offered a ride if they are not accompanied by a close family member,” ministry spokesman Sadeq Muhajir told AFP on Sunday, specifying that the escort must be a close male relative.

The new guidance, circulated on social media networks, also asked people to stop playing music in their vehicles.

Weeks ago, the ministry asked Afghanistan’s television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas with women actors. It also called on women TV journalists to wear a hijab while presenting.

Muhajir said on Sunday that a hijab would likewise be required… 

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