7 things to know about Taliban's new morality law

Aug. 25, 2024, 12:14 p.m.

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The Taliban recently implemented a new morality law in Afghanistan that enforces stringent rules on conduct and way of life. This law, which formalizes many existing constraints, has caused significant worry because of its impact on everyday life, especially for women.

Here are key points to understand about this new legislation:

1. The law contains 35 articles that outline detailed behavior and lifestyle restrictions based on the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law.

2. Violations of the law can lead to verbal warnings, threats, fines, and varying durations of detention. These penalties are enforced by the morality police, a group tasked with overseeing compliance.

Advertisement 3. The law imposes severe restrictions on women, including mandatory coverage of their faces and bodies when outside and prohibitions on their voices being heard publicly. This is part of a broader pattern of limiting women’s public roles and freedoms.

4. The law includes specific rules such as penalizing individuals for being late to prayers, interacting with non-family members of the opposite sex, or possessing personal photographs.

The law restricts media content, prohibiting anything that opposes Sharia law or depicts living beings. This limits press freedom and religious expression.

6. Some provisions in the law address the mistreatment of orphans and the practice of “bacha bazi,” where boys are exploited and dressed as girls. These measures aim to protect vulnerable children.

Although many limitations have been unofficially enforced since the Taliban’s return to power, the formal implementation of these rules could result in even stricter enforcement.

UN’s Criticism

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed serious worries about the new morality law, particularly concerning its effect on women.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of UNAMA, described the law as a “distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future.” She criticised the broad and vague nature of the restrictions and the discretionary powers given to morality inspectors, which could lead to arbitrary enforcement and further abuse.

The UN’s criticism highlights the severe limitations on women’s rights and freedoms imposed by the law, calling for better treatment of the Afghan people amidst ongoing humanitarian crises.

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