KABUL: The Human Rights Watch in a report has stated that the Taliban are employing physical and psychological violence against women and girls by detaining them on charges of “improper hijab.” The organization emphasizes that these actions are part of a systematic effort by the Taliban to eliminate women’s independence and impose total obedience upon them. Since July 16, 2025, the report indicates that the Taliban have arrested dozens of women and girls in Kabul for violating hijab laws. The detentions are described as a continuation of the Taliban’s brutal assaults on women’s freedoms, instilling fear among women and girls throughout Afghanistan. The organization notes that the recent arrests are part of the Taliban’s strict enforcement of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law, which mandates that women cover their entire bodies, especially their faces, in public spaces. The report states: “By imposing their control and regulating women’s bodies and identities, the Taliban are positioning themselves as the authority on gender morality in Afghanistan, further pushing women and girls out of public life.” Human Rights Watch insists that these Taliban actions are part of a broader system that advocates for gender apartheid, as characterized by women’s rights defenders and UN experts. The organization warns that any country that claims to value women’s and girls’ rights must take effective steps to support Afghan women. Since their return to power, the Taliban have imposed severe and extensive restrictions on women, barring girls above the sixth grade from education and women from working outside the home. Additionally, they have prohibited women from traveling without a male guardian.
