A long list of restrictions aimed at curbing women's access to public spaces has been expanded by the Taliban with their new ban on women entering one of Afghanistan's most famous national parks.
Band-e-Amir National Park, located in the country's central Bamiyan province, attracts thousands of tourists every year who come to admire its breathtaking beauty of sapphire-blue lakes and towering cliffs.
The restriction was announced after the acting minister of vice and virtue reported that females attending the park were not following the correct hijab-wearing protocol.
Mohammad Khalid Hanafi instructed security personnel to start barring women from entering the park, saying, "Going sightseeing is not a must for women.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the State of Human Rights in Afghanistan also commented on the park ban. “Can someone please explain why this restriction on women visiting Band-e-Amir is necessary to comply with Sharia and Afghan culture?” Richard Bennett wrote on social media.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the ban is the most recent in a long line of constraints placed on Afghan women. Since the Taliban took back control in 2021, the authorities have prohibited women from attending universities and many female Afghan aid providers from working. Most secondary schools for girls have also been closed. Numerous public areas, including parks, gyms, and bathhouses, have also been declared off-limits to women.
The Taliban have long maintained that they protect women's rights according to how they interpret Islamic law and Afghan traditions.
Heather Barr of HRW said that it was tough to conceive of any justification or rational reason for the imposition of this ban. “What explanation can you think of, other than cruelty?” she asked.
(Image: Getty Images)
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