Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, stated at the UN Human Rights Council that the Taliban misuse the Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women to justify *“arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and abuses.”*
In his speech at the session, Andisha stressed that the main victims of these practices are women, children, minorities, and former Afghan security personnel who now face grave risks.
He emphasized that those who have suffered are entitled to truth and accountability from those responsible.
According to a report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in July this year the Taliban arrested at least 60 women and girls in Kabul on charges of “improper hijab.” These arrests were carried out by police forces and officials of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Guterres noted that in July 2025, the Taliban launched a new wave of arrests targeting women and girls in Kabul, including dozens from Dasht-e-Barchi and Shahr-e-Naw.
It is worth mentioning that in early 2024, the Taliban had also detained a number of young women in Dasht-e-Barchi and Khairkhana, accusing them of “bad hijab.”
This comes as the Taliban, in the third year of their rule, have officially enacted their Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which is now enforced nationwide.
Article 13 of this law—consisting of eight provisions—is dedicated to “rulings concerning women’s hijab.”
Clause one stipulates that “covering the entire female body is obligatory.” Clause two declares that “concealing a woman’s face, out of fear of temptation, is necessary.” Clause three states that “women’s voices in public are considered awrah (intimate and shameful).”
