The Taliban in the western Herat province has recently ordered owners of all restaurants across Herat city to not allow women enter their restaurants, even with their families. The violators will be dealt seriously, the group’s vice and virtue authority has warned.
Local sources told KabulNow on Wednesday that the order was imposed by the Taliban’s Department of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat province, warning that violators will face legal prosecution.
The restrictions have been imposed for a few days now, the sources detailed.
Since recapturing Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has been imposing severe restrictions on women’s rights and freedom of movements in various parts of the country.
In March 2022, girls were barred from going to secondary schools and in December of the same year women were banned from university education and working for NGOs.
Additionally, the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Voice has prohibited women from going to parks, gyms, public baths, and as well as from traveling without a mahram or a male relative.
In latest case, the group reportedly banned UN female staff from working on Tuesday which has so far ignited strong reactions and calls for reversal of the alleged new ban.
The bans on women’s education and work for NGOs sparked continuous strong condemnations around the world, including from the Islamic world, with calls for the bans’ reversal. The group’s leadership, however, has only responded with imposing further restriction on women’s rights and movements.
