On 21 August 2024, three years after their return to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban issued the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV Law). Their Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had already been enforcing many of its elements before the law was formally codified. This sweeping legislation both entrenches existing restrictions on fundamental rights and introduces new ones that are already being enforced, affecting nearly every aspect of life under Taliban rule. The law impacts men and boys, marginalized ethnic and religious communities, cultural rights, but it most severely impacts women’s rights.
In this factsheet, the provisions that specifically affect women are highlighted to show how the law intensifies systemic discrimination and control over their lives.