The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed worry about the Taliban detaining women in Herat for not complying with dress rules, citing human rights issues. UNAMA emphasized that everyone has the right to move freely and be treated equally under the law. At least 21 women and girls were reportedly detained in Herat by the Taliban morality police for dress code violations, including a nurse from Herat Regional Hospital.
The Taliban’s Directorate for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat instructed male relatives to ensure women adhere to their interpretation of Islamic dress codes. Women found in public without a prayer veil, with uncovered faces, or in tight clothes could face detention and be sent to a women’s detention center. This incident follows a pattern of increased enforcement of the Taliban’s morality laws across Afghanistan, leading to more restrictions on women’s dress, movement, and public engagement.
Since taking control in 2021, the Taliban has imposed various restrictions on Afghan women and girls, such as barring girls from higher secondary education, universities, and limiting their employment opportunities. The third round of university entrance exams in Kabul recently began without female candidates for the fourth consecutive year. Over 110,000 candidates participated in the first three rounds of exams in Afghanistan, according to Rahimullah Haqqani, the administrative and technical deputy head of the National Examination Authority.
