In Afghanistan, new constructions are prohibited from featuring windows to prevent the visibility of women inside residences.
The Taliban is initiating fresh measures to roll back women’s rights since regaining control of the nation following the U.S. military exit in 2020.
Alongside requiring burkas, restricting girls’ education beyond sixth grade, and forbidding women from attending universities, there is now a restriction on women’s visibility within their own homes.
A proclamation from the Taliban’s supreme leader dictates that newly erected structures cannot include windows that might reveal ‘the courtyard, kitchen, neighbor’s well, and other areas typically utilized by women,’ as per a translation from France24.
The edict describes the sight of women as ‘inconveniences posed to their neighbors.’
Current windows in older homes should be blocked with a wall or obscured in some manner ‘to prevent inconveniences faced by neighbors.’
Earlier this month, the United Nations implored the Taliban to honor women’s rights in Afghanistan, cautioning that the nation’s future hinges on protecting the rights of all its citizens.