The morality police run by the Taliban are instilling fear and oppression among Afghan citizens, as outlined in a U.N. report released on Tuesday. The report highlighted how the Taliban’s decrees and enforcement methods violated human rights and fundamental freedoms.
After taking control in 2021, the Taliban set up a ministry dedicated to promoting virtue and preventing vice. This ministry has been enforcing rules that particularly impact women and girls, such as strict dress codes, segregated education, employment requirements, and the need for a male guardian when traveling.
The U.N. Mission in Afghanistan’s report expressed concerns about the severe and arbitrary punishments for not following the decrees, leading to fear and intimidation in the population. The report documented over 1,000 instances where ministry employees used force to impose orders, resulting in violations of personal liberties and physical and mental harm, especially affecting men.
Aside from gender-specific restrictions, the ministry has extended its control to areas like media supervision and combating drug addiction. The expanding role of the ministry raises alarm among all Afghans, especially women and girls, given the various human rights issues identified in the report.
Despite the report’s findings, the ministry dismissed them as untrue and conflicting, emphasizing the need for implementing their decrees to reform society. This reaction comes after a Taliban delegation attended a U.N.-backed meeting in Qatar to discuss engagement with Afghanistan amid economic hardships and humanitarian crises, triggering backlash for excluding Afghan women and civil society representatives.
