Afghan women fear going out alone due to Taliban decrees on clothing and male guardians, says UN

Afghan women feel scared or unsafe leaving home alone because of Taliban decrees and enforcement campaigns on clothing and male guardians, according to a report from the UN mission in Afghanistan.

The report was issued days before a UN-convened meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, where member states and special envoys to Afghanistan are expected to discuss engagement with the Taliban.

The Taliban have barred women from most areas of public life and stopped girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade as part of harsh measures they imposed after taking power in 2021.

They are also restricting women’s access to work, travel and healthcare if they are unmarried or do not have a male guardian, and arresting those who do not comply with the Taliban’s interpretation of hijab, or Islamic headscarf.

The UN mission’s report, published on Friday, said the decrees are being enforced through arrest, harassment and intimidation. Women said they increasingly fear going to public spaces, owing to the threat of arrest and the “long-lasting stigma and shame” associated with being taken into police custody.

Over half of the women interviewed for the report felt unsafe leaving the house without a male guardian, or mahram. Risks to their security and their anxiety levels worsened whenever a new decree was announced specifically targeting them, the report said.