In the western Afghan city of Herat, residents have reported witnessing women being detained by the Taliban government's morality police for failing to comply with strict dress requirements, a crackdown that has drawn condemnation from the United Nations. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated on Sunday that it was "concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat, Afghanistan, for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements."
The Taliban, who rule according to a rigid interpretation of Islamic law, have progressively tightened restrictions on women since seizing power in August 2021. Nationwide, women must be completely covered when leaving their homes, typically wearing a flowing abaya robe, a Muslim headscarf, and a face covering. In Herat, however, the enforcement has escalated: women are now being detained for not wearing the body-covering chador or burqa.
Eyewitness Accounts of Detentions
Speaking to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a 23-year-old woman described seeing two officials from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) — one carrying a whip — forcing two women who were not wearing chadors into a vehicle. She noted that the detained women were otherwise fully covered, including wearing Muslim headscarves. "Everyone is frightened," she told AFP.
Another woman, aged 27, said she observed PVPV officials stopping vehicles and checking passengers' clothing, detaining multiple women and placing them into vans. "The majority of those arrested were women who were not wearing chadors," she reported.
The PVPV ministry declined to comment on the specific detentions when contacted by AFP, stating only, "There is nothing unusual in Herat." The ministry added that the dress code "is a divine command and an enforced law and we are obligated to implement it."
Impact on Daily Life
Since the crackdown began, an AFP journalist and multiple residents in Herat have noted a sharp decline in the number of women appearing in public. A 20-year-old taxi driver said, "They're not seen in the city at all," adding that drivers have been instructed not to transport women without a chador. One 33-year-old woman described the situation as "unbearable," telling AFP, "I am genuinely saddened that we don't even have the right to breathe freely. Life has become very difficult for us."
The detentions in Herat are part of a broader pattern of repression under Taliban rule, which has systematically erased women from public life — banning them from secondary education, most employment, and public spaces like parks and gyms. This latest enforcement echoes similar crackdowns in other provinces, where women have been arrested for minor infractions such as showing their ankles or wearing bright colors.
International reactions have been muted, with the UN's statement being one of the few formal condemnations. The European Union has not issued a specific response to the Herat detentions, though it has previously condemned the Taliban's treatment of women as a violation of fundamental human rights. The situation remains a stark reminder of the challenges facing Afghan women under the current regime, with little prospect of change as the Taliban consolidates power.
