Latest news with #PVPV
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.N.: Men with 'wrong' hairstyle, women speaking in public targeted under Taliban law
April 10 (UPI) -- The Taliban's morality police -- some 3,300 officers vested by the regime to enforce its so-called "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" laws -- routinely detain Afghans for having the wrong haircut or beard-style and not attending mosque for daily prayers, the United Nations said Thursday. The U.N.'s mission in the country said in a report on the PVPV law over the six months since it came into force in August that men, women, minorities, and young people had been impacted by zealous enforcement across all aspects of daily life, intruding into personal and private spaces, public areas, economic activity and, in the case of non-Sunni Muslims, religion. Women and girls were worst affected, with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan saying it had seen a tightening of restrictions on them, including access to public spaces, dress codes and freedom of movement without a male guardian and that citizens were taking it upon themselves to police women's conduct. "Female access to healthcare, already constrained, has been further restricted by women's inability to travel alone for short distances and female healthcare professionals in several areas described their inability to report to duty because they do not have a male guardian," the report said. "These restrictions have also created a culture of uncertainty and fear. Many women reported that enforcement responsibilities have been increasingly taken up by local community and family members, reshaping social and family dynamics." UNAMA detailed draconian new measures being imposed on women by PVPV, including not leaving home without a good reason and only with her face and body fully covered, and remaining silent when out in public [although speaking is permitted "when necessary" such as during shopping]. Adult women are also forbidden to look at any man to whom they are not related, although this rule also applies to men looking at women. However, enforcement was also impacting men due to strict rules on hairstyle and beard length, attendance at prayers and other stipulations, with UNAMA saying over half of arbitrary detentions under the law were appearance-related targeting not only those in violation of mandated beard lengths or hairstyles but also barbers providing non-compliant beard trimming or haircuts. Mandatory attendance of congregational prayers, UNAMA noted, was particularly closely monitored during the 28-day long Ramadan period of fasting -- Islam's equivalent of Lent -- resulting in many instances of those failing to attend being arbitrarily arrested under powers that give PVPV inspectors authority to hold suspects for up to three days and confiscate or destroy property. UNAMA said the new law grants enforcement powers to a de facto "anti-vice ministry" operating out of the former premises of the Women's Affairs Ministry and codifies many rules prohibiting "un-Islamic" customs and conduct that were already in force either in some provinces or across the whole country. These include mandatory face coverings for women outdoors, an Islamic appearance for men, attending prayers and bans on certain festivals as well as music, images of living beings, narcotics, alcohol, the cross, neckties, and "vices" including gambling, prostitution, adultery and homosexuality. The report noted that the PVPV law had an economic impact on both men and women that was likely to worsen an already dire economic crisis in the country with women's widespread exclusion from workplaces and education depriving families of part or all of their income, exacerbating poverty. Men and women were affected due to a particular impact on the small businesses that employ many Afghans, such as private education centers, barbers and hairdressers, tailors, wedding caterers and restaurants whose business activities were curtailed or terminated, leading to a "reduction or total loss of income and employment opportunities." UNAMA also found that already highly restricted access to non-state-controlled information sources and freedom of expression were being further impacted by PVPV due to uncertainty around the bans on music and images of humans and animals. The report concluded that six months in, the infrastructure, propaganda apparatus and personnel the Taliban had assembled to implement the law showed it was determined to distance Afghanistan from its international obligations, pushing the goal of reintegrating Afghanistan into the international community further out of reach. The mission reiterated the U.N. Security Council's resolution last month calling on the Taliban to immediately reverse its "vice and virtue" directive.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Afghan men's hair and beards are under scrutiny by Taliban, UN says
A strict Islamic morality law introduced by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers six months ago has severely muzzled civil liberties in the country, according to a new UN report released on Thursday. The law on the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice (PVPV) was brought into force in August 2024 on the instruction of the Taliban's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada. The law is reminiscent of one in place during the Taliban's first stint in power in the 1990s, and implements an Islamic civil and moral code in the country. Among other things, it stipulates that women must cover their entire bodies, including their faces, and may not travel without a male companion. However, the law has also increasingly targeted men's hairstyles and beard lengths, with more than half of the arrests made in the first six months concerning men's appearances, the report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) showed. "Afghanistan's de facto authorities use [the PVPV] to ensure their vision of a pure Islamic system is implemented nationwide," the report said, emphasizing that the law has limited women's and girls' access to public spaces and health care, dress code and travel. The law has also prevented UN agencies and other non-profits from delivering services to millions of people across Afghanistan, the study, mandated by the UN Security Council, said. Around 3,300 male "inspectors" are now deployed in 28 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, 540 in the capital province of Kabul alone, the report said. These inspectors have extensive powers, including the right to detain individuals for up to three days and to destroy property such as musical instruments. Few women are employed as inspectors, the study said. In addition to the serious impact on human and women's rights, the report also highlights the economic consequences of the Taliban's measures, pointing to a World Bank study which puts the economic losses of work and education bans for women at around $1.4 billion. Both women and men told UNAMA that the law "deprived families of their incomes, exacerbated poverty and forced families to consider migration." "The direct and indirect socio-economic effects of PVPV law implementation are likely to compound Afghanistan's dire economic and humanitarian situation," the report stated.
Khaleej Times
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Afghan women risk Taliban government wrath over hair trade
Until Taliban authorities took power in Afghanistan, women like Fatima were able to freely sell their hair to be made into wigs, bringing in crucial cash. But a ban last year has forced the 28-year-old and others to covertly trade hair — collected from shower drains or the salon floor — braving the risk of punishment one strand at a time. "I need this money," said Fatima, 28, one of the few women still in paid private employment in Kabul after the Taliban regained control in 2021. "I can treat myself to something or buy things for the house." The woman, who withholds her last name for security reasons, sells every 100 grams of hair for little more than $3, a small addition to her monthly salary of $100. Buyers who want to export the locks for wig production abroad "would knock on our doors to collect" the hair, she said. One of those buyers is a man, who also requested anonymity, sending the manes to Pakistan and China from Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries. Taliban authorities have cracked down on the rights of women, imposing what the UN calls a "gender apartheid". They banned women and girls from universities and schools, effectively strangling their employment hopes. Women have also been barred from parks and gyms, while beauty salons have been shut down. 'Not allowed' Last year, Taliban authorities imposed vice and virtue laws regulating everyday life for men and women, including banning sales of "any part of the human body" including hair. They have not said what the punishment for violations would be. "We must respect the appearance that God has given to humans and preserve their dignity," Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) spokesman Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP. He said the trading of hair had become "normalised" in the country and that now "selling body parts is not allowed." Hair sales are so sensitive that the ministry which handles morality issues burned nearly a ton of human strands in Kabul province in January. The PVPV said in a statement it burned the batch "to protect Islamic values and human dignity". The restrictions have not deterred Fatima, however. During prayer times, when Taliban officials and forces attend the mosque, Fatima sneaks to a Kabul waste site to hand over her cache of tresses. The few extra dollars are significant, with 85 percent of Afghans living on less than a dollar a day, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Secret salon At a secret salon in Kabul, two worn-out leather chairs sit in a small, cold room where hairdresser Narges now only receives about four customers a week. Before the 2021 takeover, the 43-year-old widowed hairdresser used to give crop cuts to five to six clients every day. Now, only the wealthiest of her customers brave visiting the salon, and even they sometimes ask if they can take valuable spare hair home with them. "They're the only ones who can still care about beauty," she said. For others, the threat of a Taliban punishment is too much to risk. Wahida, a 33-year-old widow whose husband was a soldier killed in 2021, has a constant worry about how she will feed her three children. She still collects hair that has fallen from her eight-year-old daughter's head and her own, with strands from the root more valuable than those cut with scissors. The unemployed Afghan woman, who now relies almost entirely on charity, stuffs them in a plastic bag to keep them for a potential sale later. "I had a glimmer of hope when I used to sell my hair. Now that it's banned, I'm devastated. I'm hoping buyers will come back to my door," she said, sitting in her home. "I know there are places to sell. But I am afraid of getting caught there."
Japan Times
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Afghan women risk Taliban wrath over hair trade
Until Taliban authorities took power in Afghanistan, women like Fatima were able to freely sell their hair to be made into wigs, bringing in crucial cash. But a ban last year has forced the 28-year-old and others to covertly trade hair — collected from shower drains or the salon floor — braving the risk of punishment one strand at a time. "I need this money," said Fatima, 28, one of the few women still in paid private employment in Kabul after the Taliban regained control in 2021. "I can treat myself to something or buy things for the house." The woman, who withheld her last name for security reasons, sells every 100 grams of hair for little more than $3, a small addition to her monthly salary of $100. Buyers who want to export the locks for wig production abroad "would knock on our doors to collect" the hair, she said. One of those buyers is a man, who also requested anonymity, sending the manes to Pakistan and China from Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries. Taliban authorities have cracked down on the rights of women, imposing what the U.N. calls a "gender apartheid." They banned women and girls from universities and schools, effectively strangling their employment hopes. Women have also been barred from parks and gyms, while beauty salons have been shut down. Last year, Taliban authorities imposed vice and virtue laws regulating everyday life for men and women, including banning sales of "any part of the human body" including hair. They have not said what the punishment for violations would be. "We must respect the appearance that God has given to humans and preserve their dignity," said Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) spokesman Saiful Islam Khyber. He said the trading of hair had become "normalized" in the country and that now "selling body parts is not allowed." Hair sales are so sensitive that the ministry which handles morality issues burned nearly a ton of human strands in Kabul province in January. The PVPV said in a statement it burned the batch "to protect Islamic values and human dignity." The restrictions have not deterred Fatima, however. During prayer times, when Taliban officials and forces attend the mosque, Fatima sneaks to a Kabul waste site to hand over her cache of tresses. The few extra dollars are significant, with 85% of Afghans living on less than a dollar a day, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). At a secret salon in Kabul, two worn-out leather chairs sit in a small, cold room where hairdresser Narges now only receives about four customers a week. Before the 2021 takeover, the 43-year-old widowed hairdresser used to give crop cuts to five to six clients every day. Now, only the wealthiest of her customers brave visiting the salon, and even they sometimes ask if they can take valuable spare hair home with them. "They're the only ones who can still care about beauty," she said. For others, the threat of a Taliban punishment is too much to risk. Wahida, a 33-year-old widow whose husband was a soldier killed in 2021, has a constant worry about how she will feed her three children. She still collects hair that has fallen from her eight-year-old daughter's head and her own, with strands from the root more valuable than those cut with scissors. The unemployed Afghan woman, who now relies almost entirely on charity, stuffs them in a plastic bag to keep them for a potential sale later. "I had a glimmer of hope when I used to sell my hair. Now that it's banned, I'm devastated. I'm hoping buyers will come back to my door," she said, sitting in her home. "I know there are places to sell. But I am afraid of getting caught there."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Afghan women risk Taliban wrath over hair trade
Until Taliban authorities took power in Afghanistan, women like Fatima were able to freely sell their hair to be made into wigs, bringing in crucial cash. But a ban last year has forced the 28-year-old and others to covertly trade hair -- collected from shower drains or the salon floor -- braving the risk of punishment one strand at a time. "I need this money," said Fatima, 28, one of the few women still in paid private employment in Kabul after the Taliban regained control in 2021. "I can treat myself to something or buy things for the house." The woman, who withholds her last name for security reasons, sells every 100 grams of hair for little more than $3, a small addition to her monthly salary of $100. Buyers who want to export the locks for wig production abroad "would knock on our doors to collect" the hair, she said. One of those buyers is a man, who also requested anonymity, sending the manes to Pakistan and China from Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries. Taliban authorities have cracked down on the rights of women, imposing what the UN calls a "gender apartheid". They banned women and girls from universities and schools, effectively strangling their employment hopes. Women have also been barred from parks and gyms, while beauty salons have been shut down. - 'Not allowed' - Last year, Taliban authorities imposed vice and virtue laws regulating everyday life for men and women, including banning sales of "any part of the human body" including hair. They have not said what the punishment for violations would be. "We must respect the appearance that God has given to humans and preserve their dignity," Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) spokesman Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP. He said the trading of hair had become "normalised" in the country and that now "selling body parts is not allowed." Hair sales are so sensitive that the ministry which handles morality issues burned nearly a ton of human strands in Kabul province in January. The PVPV said in a statement it burned the batch "to protect Islamic values and human dignity". The restrictions have not deterred Fatima, however. During prayer times, when Taliban officials and forces attend the mosque, Fatima sneaks to a Kabul waste site to hand over her cache of tresses. The few extra dollars are significant, with 85 percent of Afghans living on less than a dollar a day, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). - Secret salon - At a secret salon in Kabul, two worn-out leather chairs sit in a small, cold room where hairdresser Narges now only receives about four customers a week. Before the 2021 takeover, the 43-year-old widowed hairdresser used to give crop cuts to five to six clients every day. Now, only the wealthiest of her customers brave visiting the salon, and even they sometimes ask if they can take valuable spare hair home with them. "They're the only ones who can still care about beauty," she said. For others, the threat of a Taliban punishment is too much to risk. Wahida, a 33-year-old widow whose husband was a soldier killed in 2021, has a constant worry about how she will feed her three children. She still collects hair that has fallen from her eight-year-old daughter's head and her own, with strands from the root more valuable than those cut with scissors. The unemployed Afghan woman, who now relies almost entirely on charity, stuffs them in a plastic bag to keep them for a potential sale later. "I had a glimmer of hope when I used to sell my hair. Now that it's banned, I'm devastated. I'm hoping buyers will come back to my door," she said, sitting in her home. "I know there are places to sell. But I am afraid of getting caught there." str-cgo/stm/jfx/lb
