UNAMA: More Than 50 Cases of Women Being Arrested or Warned by Taliban in Past Three Months
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says it documented more than 50 cases of women being arrested, detained or warned over the past three months for failing to comply with Taliban hijab directives enforced by vice and virtue officers.
In a new report published on Thursday (15 October) on the human rights situation in Afghanistan during July, August and September 2026, UNAMA said most of these cases were recorded in Herat and Kabul provinces.
According to the report, in July, Taliban vice and virtue officers arrested a 13-year-old girl for failing to comply with hijab directives. She remained in detention until the following day and was released after her father came to secure her release.
In another incident in Herat city, 10 women were arrested for not wearing a chador and were released after their guardians pledged that they would comply with the hijab directives.
UNAMA also documented cases in which women were threatened with arrest and beating for failing to comply with these directives.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan.
