Afghanistan: Women face fresh dress code arrests amid record refugee returns — UN News

Afghan women and girls are being arrested, detained and threatened with arrest by Taliban authorities, the UN warned on Thursday as record numbers of returnees struggle to rebuild their lives back home. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) verified that at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Herat and Kabul between July and September, while other women were threatened with arrest. The true number could be far higher, the mission said in a statement, because fear and stigma stop many cases from being reported. Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, women and girls’ rights have been severely restricted, keeping them from secondary education, jobs and out of the public eye. Recent arrests were related to alleged violations of the de facto authorities’ dress code requirements, according to UNAMA. Many of the women were detained for not wearing a chador, having visible hair, wearing colourful scarves or makeup – or being in public without a mahram (male guardian). “The women were released after spending several hours in detention,” the mission reported. Alarmed by incidents involving verbal abuse, beatings and threats against women – including female shopkeepers – UNAMA reiterated that these acts violate women and girls’ rights to freedom of movement, expression and autonomy. Arrests and detentions also expose women and girls to severe…