KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A 24-year-old woman in Herat was stabbed to death by her brother after she refused an arranged marriage, local sources have confirmed. The incident occurred on Tuesday night, October 15, in the 4th district of Herat city.
According to a source speaking with KabulNow, the motive for the murder was the young woman’s rejection of her brother’s demand that she marry a man he had chosen. The brother was arrested following the attack, the source added.
Taliban officials have not yet commented on the case.
This incident is one among many highlighting the increasing violence against women under Taliban rule. Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have systematically stripped women of their rights, banning them from public sector jobs, secondary and higher education, and public spaces such as parks, gyms, and public baths.
In a broader context, gender-based violence (GBV) has surged across Afghanistan. A report by Afghan Witness documented over 700 cases of GBV between January 2022 and June 2024, involving 840 women and girls. Of these, at least 322 were cases of femicide—where women were intentionally killed because of their gender. The report also recorded 287 cases of arrest, detention, and enforced disappearances, alongside 75 cases of sexual assault or rape.
International experts and human rights groups have condemned the Taliban’s oppressive policies, warning that the escalating violence against women and girls constitutes a form of gender apartheid.
