Restrictions on the fundamental rights of women have become a global concern ever since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August of last year. According to Reuters, the Afghan “morality police” has decreed that women are not permitted in Kabul’s theme parks.
When contacted by Reuters for a response, a spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MPVPV) confirmed that women would be prohibited from entering parks. Still, she did not react when asked for more information.
It is unclear, however, how widely the limits are implemented and how they have changed an earlier MPVPV regulation stating that parks, especially outdoor areas, would be divided by gender and that specific day would be set aside for women.
Reuters reporters saw many women being turned away by park staff at an amusement park in Kabul. Agents of the Taliban were also present to monitor the event.
A Kabul resident complained to the agency that she was denied entry to the park when she tried to bring her grandchild.
“These youngsters haven’t seen anything wonderful, so they must play and be entertained,” she told Reuters. “When mothers come with their children, they must be permitted to join the park,” I begged them again, but they refused to let us enter the park, so we are now going back home.
To speak freely about a delicate subject, two park managers requested anonymity. They claimed Taliban representatives had instructed them to forbid the entry of women.
In their first press conference following their takeover in August, the Taliban made promises on women’s rights, media freedom, and amnesty for government officials. However, several people, including journalists, activists, and former government workers, continue to experience retaliation.
Additionally, the Taliban’s brutal persecution of the Afghan Shia Hazara, which dates back more than a century, has reached previously unheard-of heights in the past 12 months.
Since the Taliban seized power last year, attacks against Hazara places of worship, schools, and other public locations have increased. The Islamic State of Khorasan has taken credit for 13 episodes on Hazaras in the past year.
These attacks have resulted in the deaths or injuries of about 700 persons.
