The Taliban in Afghanistan has told airlines that women are not allowed to board flights unless accompanied by a male relative.
The latest restriction on women follows Wednesday’s closure of all girls’ secondary schools, just hours after they were allowed to reopen for the first time since the hardline Islamists seized power in August.
Two officials from Afghan airlines said the Taliban demanded that they stop boarding women when travelling alone.
Representatives of the Taliban, the two airlines and airport immigration authorities have decided on Thursday that airport security will be increased. Women’s rights are being curtailed due to the Taliban’s return. Using a more localized approach, these restrictions have been placed on women by government officials.
According to an letter, no woman is allowed to fly on any flight without the accompaniment of a male family member. Two travel agents AFP contacted confirmed that they stopped issuing tickets to solo female travelers.
When boarding a flight, some women travelling without male relatives were not let on because they are an unaccompanied minors. Sources have reported an Afghan woman was also not allowed to board a flight to Dubai.
Women have been denied many important jobs due to gender discrimination, and many women are now not able to continue secondary school education. The Quran also dictates some strict rules on what form of dress is acceptable, which discriminates against women even further.
The girls have been so outraged. They just reopened their schools, but now they’re being forced to close again. Tens of thousands of them flocked back to class on Wednesday morning, but only a few hours later they were ordered home.
