KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has raised concern over the arrest and detention of women in western Herat province for allegedly failing to comply with “dress requirements” and has urged Taliban authorities to treat all people equally.
In a statement posted on X late on Sunday, UNAMA highlighted that the incidents raise significant human rights concerns.
“UNAMA is concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat, Afghanistan, for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements, which raises serious human rights concerns,” UNAMA said.
The UN mission added that freedom of movement and equality before the law must be respected for all individuals.
“We remind the de facto authorities that all people have the right to freedom of movement and that all persons, both women and men, are entitled to equality before the law,” it added.
Local sources told KabulNow that the Taliban morality police detained dozens of women and girls in Herat on Sunday during enforcement operations across multiple areas of the city, including central Herat and the Jibrael district.
Those detained reportedly included pregnant women, nurses, and underage girls, according to the sources.
The Taliban have not commented on the reported detentions or responded to UNAMA’s statement.
The detentions followed a warning issued on Friday by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat. The notice, communicated through mosques and local councils, instructed male family members to ensure women comply with the dress code. It warned that women appearing in public without a prayer veil, with uncovered faces, wearing tight clothing, or makeup could face detention.
The incident comes amid increased enforcement of the Taliban’s morality laws in several provinces, with rights groups saying the measures have progressively tightened restrictions on women’s dress, movement, and participation in public life.
Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have enacted sweeping limitations on women and girls. These include bans on secondary and higher education for females, curbs on female employment in many sectors, and prohibitions on access to certain public spaces without a male guardian.
The United Nations and rights groups have repeatedly called on the Taliban to reverse these measures and restore women’s rights in Afghanistan.
The Taliban says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law.
