Afghan women facing arrest for dress code violations: UN
In recent months, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have arrested or detained dozens of women for alleged violations of dress codes and for appearing in public without a male guardian.
The United Nations has expressed grave concern over the arrest and detention of Afghan women for alleged violations of the country's strict dress code, which the Taliban has imposed since seizing power in 2021. Between July and September of 2026, at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Herat and Kabul for not wearing a chador, having visible hair, wearing colorful scarves, or makeup, or being in public without a mahram.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned that these detentions violate women's and girls' rights to freedom of movement, expression, and autonomy, and expose them to severe social stigma. The Taliban has banned women from attending school beyond the primary level and limits what they can wear and where they can go, with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice enforcing these rules.
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