Taliban Tightens Clothing Restrictions for Women in Kandahar

Taliban Tightens Clothing Restrictions for Women in Kandahar
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The Taliban’s vice and virtue directorate in Kandahar has ordered shopkeepers to sell women’s clothing, beauty products, and other personal items only to customers wearing the full burqa, Amu TV reported. The directive prohibits sales to women in what the Taliban call “ordinary hijab,” with fines or imprisonment for vendors who disobey.

Local sources said Taliban enforcers have been patrolling women’s markets over the past week, instructing shopkeepers to serve female customers outside their stores rather than allowing them inside. Similar measures were reportedly implemented earlier this month in Khost Province, where shops selling women’s goods were closed.

Human rights advocates describe these restrictions as part of a broader pattern of curbs on women’s freedoms since the Taliban regained power in 2021, including bans on girls’ education, most forms of employment, and participation in public life. Kandahar, the movement’s birthplace and power base, often serves as a testing ground for its strictest policies.