Taliban begins enforcing strict new laws and Afghan women despair - The Washington Post

The Nugget

The Taliban's newly enforced draconian laws sharply restrict Afghan women's freedoms, leaving them with little hope for future changes. The recent regulations have intensified control over women's lives in Afghanistan, overturning previous expectations of leniency.

Make it stick

🧕 Afghan women must now cover the lower half of their faces and avoid raising their voices in public to comply with new laws.
🚫 The Taliban's morality police are increasingly active, patrolling urban areas to enforce rules that limit women's public presence and behavior.
📚 Education restrictions continue, with many families refusing to allow their daughters to attend classes after threats to male teachers.
💔 "The entire country has turned into a graveyard for women’s dreams," signifies the despair among women as rights regress under Taliban rule.

The Taliban has issued laws banning women from raising their voices and reciting the Quran in public.
Women are now required to wear additional coverings, including covering the lower half of their faces in public.
Morality police have increased their presence in urban centers, actively monitoring for dress-code violations.

Afghan girls above sixth grade are banned from attending school, severely limiting educational opportunities.
Families are increasingly withholding permission for daughters to engage in educational activities out of fear for their safety.
Women's participation in public life has dwindled, with fewer women appearing on television broadcasts and in public spaces.

Many Afghan women are feeling hopeless, believing that the possibility for improved rights has vanished since the latest laws were enacted.
The perception of a division within the Taliban—between moderates and hardliners—has faded as uniformly strict regulations are now enforced.
Afghan women express concern that the Taliban's justification for their laws are less about religion and more about securing power and leverage in international negotiations.

"When it comes to cruelty and restrictions, they are all on the same page."
"Three weeks ago, I was still hopeful... but once they published their Vice and Virtue law, I lost all hope."
"The silence of the world over the last three years will go down as a dark chapter in history."
"To them, seeing the hair of a girl is a sin, but starving your country is not."
"The entire country has turned into a graveyard for women’s dreams."

This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.