In Kandahar, the Taliban have issued a new decree forcing all female vendors and shopkeepers to wear the burqa (chadari) while working in markets — a rule that has stirred outrage among women traders and human rights advocates.
For many women, the decree feels less like dress regulation and more like captivity. “They have imprisoned us under the burqa,” said Zarghona, a shopkeeper we interviewed. “This is not shopkeeping anymore, this is imprisonment.”
Women in Kandahar argue that wearing the burqa while managing daily business is not only physically restrictive but also undermines their ability to interact freely with customers, further isolating them in already shrinking public spaces.
The Taliban defend the policy under the banner of “preserving Islamic values.” But critics insist the real goal is erasing women from public life. For families where women are the primary breadwinners, the consequences are devastating — cutting off income, increasing poverty, and threatening survival.
Social analysts warn that this decree is part of a broader strategy to marginalize women from economic and social activities, pushing Afghanistan deeper into unemployment and inequality.
The burqa order in Kandahar is not an isolated decree but another brick in the wall of gender apartheid. By reducing women’s visibility and mobility, the Taliban are not just controlling dress — they are systematically dismantling women’s right to exist in public life.
