The so-called ministry for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of sin had called on Afghan TV channels to enforce the dress code from Saturday. Previously, female journalists on television only had to wear a headscarf.
However, TOLOnews, Shamshad TV and 1TV all broadcast live programs in which the faces of the female presenters were not covered. “Our female colleagues are concerned that if they cover their faces now, the next step will be to be told to stop working,” Shamshad TV editor-in-chief Abid Ehsas told France’s AFP news agency.
A spokesman for the ministry warned on Saturday that the women risk being fired if they do not comply with the order. In addition, men also run the risk of losing their job if their wives or daughters oppose the dress code.
At the beginning of this month, Afghan women were ordered by decree to wear a burqa in public, much like during the first Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001. During that regime, women were also not allowed to work or go to school.
All kinds of restrictions on women are being reintroduced in Afghanistan, especially at the local level.