Women detained in Afghanistan's Herat in clothing crackdown

Residents in the western Afghan city of Herat have reported witnessing multiple women being detained by the Taliban government’s morality police. The detentions are part of a crackdown over clothing that has drawn criticism from the United Nations. The UN 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.”

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concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat Afghanistan for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements

Taliban authorities have progressively increased restrictions on women since regaining power in August 2021. Nationwide, women are required to be fully covered when leaving their homes, often wearing a flowing abaya robe, a headscarf, and a face covering. In Herat, residents reported seeing women detained on Saturday for failing to wear the body-cloaking chador or burqa.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity for security reasons, one 23-year-old woman described seeing two employees from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV), one carrying a whip, place two women not wearing chadors into a vehicle. She noted that the detained women were fully covered, including wearing Muslim headscarves. “Everyone is frightened,” she told AFP.

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I saw two employees of the ministry, one of whom was carrying a whip, putting two women who were not wearing chadors into a vehicle

Another woman recounted witnessing PVPV officials stopping vehicles and inspecting passengers' clothing, leading to multiple women being detained and put into vans. She stated that the majority of those arrested were women not wearing chadors. The PVPV ministry did not comment on the detentions when contacted by AFP, with its information department stating, “There is nothing unusual in Herat.” The ministry asserted that the dress code “is a divine command and an enforced law, and we are obligated to implement it.”

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Everyone is frightened

Since the crackdown began, an AFP journalist and numerous residents in Herat have observed a significant decrease in the number of women venturing outside. A 20-year-old taxi driver reported, “they’re not seen in the city at all.” He added, “We’ve been told not to transport women without a chador.” One woman described the situation as “unbearable,” expressing deep sadness that “we don’t even have the right to breathe freely.” She concluded, “Life has become very difficult for us.”

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The majority of those arrested were women who were not wearing chadors