Taliban order women to cover up head to toe

In the latest curb on women's rights, the Taliban on Saturday issued a decree ordering the Afghan women to wear the all-covering burqa in public.

The decree was issued by Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada and was later released by Taliban authorities at a function in Kabul, reported Dawn.

"They should wear a 'chadori (head-to-toe burqa)' as it is traditional and respectful," he said.

Though the decree is new, the Taliban have been forcing women to cover themselves up since returning to power in August.

Earlier, the Taliban's religious police put up posters around the capital Kabul ordering Afghan women to cover up.

Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice pasted the poster on cafes and shops.

The posters had an image of the face-covering burqa.

Along with the picture, a message on the poster read, "According to Sharia law, Muslim women must wear the hijab."

Taliban during its regime in the 1990s made it mandatory for women to wear a burqa.

Women in Kabul already cover their hair with headscarves, though some wear modest western clothing. However, outside Kabul burqa remained common.

Now, the Taliban with this new decree is enforcing every woman in Afghanistan to wear the all-covering burqa. Last year in December, the Taliban issued another repressive directive that Afghan women seeking to travel long distances by road should be offered transport only if accompanied by a male relative.

Moreover, the worldwide condemnation of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan had heightened after the Taliban decided to close all secondary schools for girls. Several activists and political parties have urged the Taliban to reconsider the ban on secondary schools for girls.

Psychologists have said that the Afghan girl students above grade six, banned from going to schools by the Taliban, are undergoing mental stress due to this move. According to HRW, women and girls are blocked from accessing health care as well. Reports suggest that women and girls facing violence have no escape route.