8am: With the Taliban intensifying restrictions on women in Afghanistan, women are more constrained than ever by the group’s ignorance and backwardness, finding life in these conditions intolerable. In a recent move, Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has prohibited adult women from hearing the voices of other adult women. He declared that women are not allowed to recite or chant loudly in the presence of other women. Many women and girls have condemned this restriction as shameful and contrary to human dignity, saying that the Taliban are mocking both themselves and the women of Afghanistan. These women and girls, worried about their future under the Taliban’s flag, fear that the restrictions may lead to permanent confinement within their homes. Psychologists, too, are concerned about the mental and emotional state of girls under such harsh conditions, noting that increased restrictions have heightened the inclination towards suicide among girls deprived of education. Click here to read more (external link).

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