“My voice is now a crime,” says Mariam, a teacher from Kabul province. Speaking over a shaky WhatsApp connection, Mariam (whose name has been changed for her safety) describes her life as a woman under new Taliban rules. “I am terrified to leave my house,” she says. “Not because I fear the violence in the streets, but because I fear my own voice might betray me.”
Last week, the Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, approved new “vice and virtue” laws, which include a total ban on women’s voices in public and further restrictions on their presence outside the home. The laws have been condemned by international bodies, including the United Nations.
Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, has expressed deep concern over the new laws, describing them as offering a “distressing vision” for the country’s future. She said the measures intensify the “already intolerable restrictions” on women and girls, noting that “even the sound of a female voice” outside the home is now seen as a moral offence.
Mariam (35) is one of many Afghan women whose daily existence has become a complex negotiation of survival. The new laws dictate that when she leaves her home, she must cover herself completely – her face, her body and now her voice. “We used to be able to whisper to each other on the streets, exchange greetings, or even call out for a taxi. Now, even that is forbidden. It’s as if we’ve become ghosts in our own country.”
For women in Afghanistan, the future under these new laws is bleak. “We are losing hope,” says Mariam. “Every day, it feels like another piece of our freedom is being taken away.”
The laws are the latest in a series of escalating restrictions on women that have been imposed since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, when forces led by the US withdrew after two decades of conflict. Women are no longer allowed to work in most sectors, attend secondary school, or visit public parks. Following the new decrees, they are now also forbidden from showing their faces or being heard in public. The Taliban’s justification: women’s voices and faces are potential instruments of vice, leading men into temptation.
“They are erasing us,” says Amina, a former university student from Herat province. Amina (28), who wants to become a doctor, now fears those dreams may never be realised. “When the Taliban first came to power, they banned us from going to university. Now they are banning us from even speaking in public. How can we fight this? How can we study or work if we cannot even be seen or heard?”
The impact of these laws on women’s mental health has been profound. Amina describes a growing sense of despair among her peers. “We used to talk about our future, about the possibilities of what we could achieve. Now, we don’t talk at all. The silence is suffocating.”
She points out that the Taliban’s actions are not just an attack on women but on humanity itself. “When they say women can’t speak in public because they think women’s voices are too personal, it’s really scary. They’re not just targeting women, but everyone. They need to be held responsible for this.”
It’s really worrying that international organisations like the United Nations ... are trying to make the Taliban seem okay
— Mariam
This silence is not just a metaphorical one. The Taliban have made it literal, with new rules that ban women from singing, reading aloud or even speaking in their own homes if their voices can be heard by men outside. The consequences for disobedience are severe – women who violate these rules can be detained and punished at the discretion of Taliban officials.
“I was once a singer,” says Zohra, a former musician from Kandahar province. “Now, my voice is a weapon they have taken from me.” Zohra (27) used to perform at community gatherings. “I had to destroy my instruments, burn my recordings. The music that was once my life has been silenced.
“Singing was how I expressed myself, how I connected with others. Now, I am forced to remain silent, and it feels like a part of me has died. We may be forced to be silent, but that does not mean we have nothing to say.”
The international community has condemned these new laws, but Afghan women such as Zohra feel abandoned. “The world watches, but they do nothing,” she says, her voice thick with frustration. “Where are the voices speaking out for us? Why are we being left to suffer in silence?”
In June, UN officials and representatives from 25 countries agreed to meet Taliban officials in Qatar. The UN has been attempting to establish a united international approach to dealing with the Taliban, but the meeting – which did not include Afghan women – was criticised by human rights groups.
The Taliban has established de facto diplomatic ties with several countries in the region, including Russia, China, Pakistan, India and various central Asian states.
And the United Arab Emirates last week accepted the credentials of a Taliban-appointed diplomat as the ambassador of Afghanistan, making the Gulf state the second country after China to accept a Taliban envoy at that level.
The UAE stated that this decision was part of its broader strategy to provide humanitarian assistance and support regional stability. However, the move has sparked concerns about the consequences of engaging with a regime that blatantly disregards human rights.
Speaking from Kabul, Mariam criticises the global response to the Taliban’s actions. “It’s really worrying that international organisations like the United Nations ... are trying to make the Taliban seem okay. They’re acting like the Taliban aren’t doing terrible things to people.”
Mariam’s words underscore a broader sense of betrayal felt by many Afghan women. The initial outrage and solidarity shown by the international community in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power have, for many, been replaced by silence. “The world promised us support, but now, when we need it the most, they are quiet,” she says.
This sentiment is shared by Amina. “The Taliban government isn’t a real government. Their new rules to control and erase women show how much they dislike women. But the world is acting like this is normal.”
* Names have been changed for the women’s safety
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