Law of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices
Obligations of the Overseer (Muhtasib) Regarding Covering

Article Fifteen: The overseer is obligated to enforce the rules of this law concerning the covering of men and women, commanding good and forbidding evil.

Article 15 formalizes the role of Taliban morality officials in policing how both men and women dress, but in practice, these laws disproportionately target women. The absence of defined criteria for what constitutes “proper covering” allows for arbitrary enforcement and expands the scope of gender-based surveillance. By mandating this as a legal duty of the state, the provision erodes personal freedom, facilitates public shaming, and institutionalizes coercive control over gender expression and appearance