According to a recent United Nations report, the Taliban are intensifying restrictions on Afghan women, particularly targeting those who are single or unaccompanied by a male guardian. This move marks a significant step back in women’s rights in Afghanistan.
The report highlights several instances where the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry enforced these restrictions. In one notable case, a woman was advised to marry if she wished to retain her job in healthcare, citing the inappropriateness of an unwed woman working in such a setting.
Since their return to power in 2021, the Taliban have reversed many of the freedoms Afghan women had previously enjoyed. They have prohibited girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and barred women from most public life areas. This includes the closure of beauty parlors and the enforcement of a strict dress code, under which women failing to comply with their hijab standards are arrested. A decree in May 2022 went further, recommending women to wear a full burqa and only show their eyes, echoing the restrictions of their rule from 1996 to 2001.
Taliban prevents women from working at UN in Afghanistan
The UN’s latest quarterly report, covering October to December of the previous year, underlines the crackdown on single Afghan women or those without a male guardian, known as a mahram. While there is no official law on male guardianship in Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed restrictions preventing women from moving or traveling without a related male companion.
Several disturbing incidents were reported, including the detention of three female healthcare workers for going to work without a mahram, later released after their families assured they would not repeat the act. Additionally, in Paktia province, the Vice and Virtue Ministry has barred women without mahrams from accessing health facilities and actively monitors compliance.
The ministry’s role extends beyond healthcare, enforcing hijab and mahram requirements in public places, offices, and educational institutes. In Kandahar province, they have even intervened at bus terminals, ensuring women do not travel long distances without a mahram.
Moreover, there have been arrests of women for purchasing contraception, an act not officially banned by the Taliban. This series of actions highlights the increasing marginalization and isolation of Afghan women under the Taliban regime, raising serious concerns about their basic rights and freedoms.
