The Taliban government in Afghanistan has enacted sweeping new laws that effectively ban women’s voices and faces from public life, in a move aimed at promoting “virtue,” according to a report by the Associated Press.

The Islamist regime, which took power following the withdrawal of US and coalition forces in 2021, has introduced a 114-page rulebook detailing strict regulations on everyday activities. These include mandates on public transport, music, personal grooming, and even social celebrations.

Under the new laws, all women are required to cover their entire bodies in public, with face coverings deemed essential to “avoid temptation and tempting others.” Clothing must not be thin, tight, or short, and non-compliance could lead to arrest.

The rules also classify a woman’s voice as “intimate,” prohibiting women from singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public spaces. Furthermore, women are forbidden from looking at men to whom they are not related by blood or marriage, and vice versa.

In addition to these restrictions, the Taliban’s new laws ban music, solo travel for women, and social interactions between unrelated men and women.

The United Nations has expressed deep concern over these developments, with Fiona Frazer, head of the UN’s human rights service in Afghanistan, warning that the Taliban’s increasing control is fostering a climate of fear, particularly for women and girls.