The Way

" It breaks my heart that people in The Street were approaching me, asking me to cover my face, " says Soraya. " Even The Tailor I visited told me to cover my face before I could speak to them. "

Soraya, who owns a Small Business in Kabul, never believed that she would be made to wear a burqa, like The One The Taliban enforced during their first stint in power in the 1990s. But on 7 May Women 's faces became the latest restriction, after Afghanistan's ruling Taliban announced that Women must wear an all-covering veil in public for the First Time in decades. Taliban officials described The Face veil decree as " advice" but laid out a specific set of escalating steps for anyone not complying.

And when Soraya took her usual trip to the shops in western Kabul This Week , Something Else had changed. Taliban representatives were inside Women 's clothing shops to oversee what shop assistants were selling and whether the length of The Tailor -made outfits was deemed appropriate.

" I was scared, " says Soraya.

Since The Taliban returned to power in August 2021, they have issued various edicts restricting the freedom of Women - Banning them from government jobs, Secondary Education and from traveling More Than 45 miles (72km) without a mahram, or male guardian.

Some Women in Afghanistan say the edict about the use of face veils is just the latest attack on their Human Rights .

" It's like being A Woman in Afghanistan is A Crime , " says Sana, who lost Her Job due to The Taliban takeover and is struggling financially.

" It doesn't matter what they choose for me in terms of Dress - I Am not leaving My House anyway, The Situation is hopeless. "

Most Afghan Women already wear some form of hijab, a scarf that covers The Head and neck, but the new restrictions require Women to either wear a full niqab, which covers The Face but not The Eyes , or a burqa, covering The Body and full face with a mesh over The Eyes .

It's their or male guardian, who is usually a close male relative, who will have to police their Dress , otherwise they could face punishment. The Men could be summoned to see ministry officials, and potentially even be sent to court or jailed for Three Days . Women with jobs could be fired.

Feeling the brunt of new restrictions, Some Women are risking their safety to Speak Up .

A group in Kabul protested This Week against the clothing mandate by wearing traditional Afghan dresses.

" In The Past eight months The Taliban have done nothing for us except policing our Dress , there is political and economic instability and The Taliban are not solving these issues first, " says protester Maryam.

Some protesters told The Bbc that when they tried to take to The Streets in protest on Tuesday they were stopped by Taliban officials.

" They made me stand in the same spot for two hours, they took my Mobile Phone and threatened to take us to the Police Station , " says Hajira.

The Bbc Afghan Service contacted The Taliban for comment on The Incident , but did not receive a reply.

Anoushah, a Women 's rights activist in Kabul, says she also decided to take a stand. " The First day of the decree I went out On Purpose with my 12-year-old son to all The City spots wearing my normal attire, showing my face. I wanted to run into a member of The Taliban to challenge them. "

Sheikba, who says she is an atheist, vows to fight against any pressure to change The Way she dresses - despite her recent run-ins with The Authorities . On her way to university, she was stopped by a Taliban official for not wearing what was deemed the correct attire.

" I tried to reason with him about it being too hot, but when he insisted I had to cover myself, " she says.

Sheikba says she has always felt pressure in Afghanistan's society to conform when It Comes to her clothes, including from the male members of her family.

" The difference is now I Am fighting on two fronts, with My Family and with The Taliban officials, " she says.

" I'm scared, but I don't have any choice but to fight against it. "

This is not the only restriction she faces. Sheikba was recently stopped from boarding a plane to take up a scholarship to study in Iran because she had no male chaperone with her.

In March, The Taliban introduced restrictions to stop Women from boarding domestic or international flights without a mahram. They also said that Women seeking to travel long distances by road should be offered transport Only If accompanied by a male relative.

" I tried to explain to The Taliban that I couldn't bring anyone with me to Iran, but they wouldn't listen. "

Like Sheikba, Fereshtah is worried about her future. Her father died when she was just One Year old, and not having a male chaperone in her household might now restrict her movements.

She long battled her family to have The Right to work outside the home, and for a period she had a job as a Social Worker , travelling to conferences with her sister. " I had hoped that when I graduated from university I could continue My Education abroad and do a Master's degree, but now I Am not hopeful. "

This Week Fereshtah received notice from her professors insisting that she and her female classmates obey The Taliban 's new rules around The Dress code.

" I will Cover Up a bit more because I Am worried if they come to My House and there is no man in the household, but not as much as The Taliban want me to, " she says.

But it's a different story for some of her classmates. " They've told me they will wear a full veil because their fathers have warned them about the repercussions, " says Fereshtah.

Herat University graduate Najma thinks it's time The International community did more to put pressure on The Taliban when It Comes to Women 's rights.

" It breaks my heart, I feel so weak because I feel I have no option other than to obey these stupid rules, " she says.

" I cannot describe how bad this situation is, they are pressuring Women and girls and putting us in a cage. "

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Source of news: bbc.com