Afghan residents in the western city of Herat have reported witnessing multiple women being detained by the Taliban government's morality police in a crackdown over clothing that has drawn criticism from the United Nations. The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concern on Sunday over the arrests, stating it was "concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat, Afghanistan, for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements."
Details of the Crackdown
Taliban authorities rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law and have gradually tightened restrictions on women since returning to power in August 2021. Women nationwide must be completely covered when leaving home, with many wearing a flowing abaya robe along with a headscarf and a face covering. In Herat, residents witnessed women being detained on Saturday for not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa. They spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
A 23-year-old woman recounted, "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." She referred to officials from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV). She noted that those detained were fully covered, including wearing Muslim headscarves. "Everyone is frightened," she added.
Another woman, aged 27, said she saw PVPV officials stopping vehicles and checking passengers' clothing, and witnessed multiple women being detained and put into vans. "The majority of those arrested were women who were not wearing chadors," she stated.
Official Response and Impact
The PVPV ministry did not comment on the detentions when contacted by AFP. The ministry's information department said, "There is nothing unusual in Herat," and described the dress code as "a divine command and an enforced law, and we are obligated to implement it." Since the crackdown was launched, an AFP journalist and multiple residents in Herat noted a sharp drop in the number of women leaving home. A 20-year-old taxi driver said, "They're not seen in the city at all. We've been told not to transport women without a chador."
One woman described the situation as "unbearable." The 33-year-old said, "I am genuinely saddened that we don't even have the right to breathe freely. Life has become very difficult for us."
