KABUL: The Taliban government has banned the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook areas often used by Afghan women, and has ordered that existing buildings be closed.
According to a statement issued by a Taliban government spokesman, new buildings should not have windows that “look into courtyards, kitchens, neighbors’ wells, and other places commonly used by women.”
“Seeing women working in kitchens, yards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts,” the decree, posted on social media platform X by government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said. ”
Municipal authorities and other relevant departments have to monitor the construction sites to ensure that it is not possible to get into the neighbours’ houses.
If such windows are present, owners will be encouraged to build a wall or block the view “to avoid nuisance to neighbors,” the decree said.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been gradually erased from public spaces, prompting the United Nations to condemn the administration’s practice of “sexual apartheid”.
Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and restricted access to parks and other public spaces.
A recent law even prohibits women from singing or reciting poetry in public. It also encourages them to “veil” their voices and bodies outside the home.
Some local radio and television stations have also stopped broadcasting women’s voices.