UN express deep concern over Taliban’s arrest of Afghan women and girls for dress code violations
The United Nations expressed concern on Monday over the Taliban’s detention of Afghan women and girls accused of not adhering to the authorities’ dress code.
In May 2022, the Taliban government issued a decree requiring women to cover everything except their eyes and encouraged the wearing of a full-body burqa, Arab News reported. Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has intensified restrictions on women’s public appearance and behavior, including morality laws that prohibit women from showing their faces outside their homes.
The UN mission in Afghanistan reported worry over the arrest of numerous women and girls in Kabul between July 16 and 19, with authorities alleging they failed to comply with hijab regulations, specifically the Islamic headscarf. The mission stated these actions further isolate women and girls, create a climate of fear, and undermine public trust. However, it did not provide specific details about the number of arrests, the detainees’ ages, or their detention locations.
The UN mission called on the Taliban government to revoke policies and practices that limit the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls, especially the ban on education beyond the sixth grade.
In January 2024, the Vice and Virtue Ministry announced the arrest of women in Kabul for wearing “bad hijab.” Ministry spokesman Abdul Ghafar Farooq did not specify the number of women detained or define what constituted “bad hijab.” At that time, the UN mission was investigating allegations of mistreatment and extortion related to the women’s release.
The Taliban has imposed further restrictions on women, including bans on secondary education and many jobs, travel limitations requiring male guardians, and restrictions on healthcare and public participation.
It should be mentioned that, while observing hijab is an obligation in Islam, it should not be enforced through policing policies upon members of the society, according to the conduct of the Holy Prophet and Amir al-Mo’mineen (peace be upon them both) during their governance.
