Reports from Badakhshan indicate escalating pressure on women and girls by the Taliban’s so-called “Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.” On Wednesday evening (July 23), Taliban patrols were once again seen on the streets of Minabazar, warning and intimidating women and girls over their clothing.
According to two local sources, Taliban enforcers carrying whips were walking along Minabazar, a busy commercial area in the city, repeatedly shouting at female pedestrians to observe compulsory hijab. Eyewitnesses said the patrols aggressively called out, “Girls, hijab! Girls, hijab!” creating an atmosphere of fear and psychological pressure.
Minabazar is one of the busiest areas in the city, frequently visited by women and girls for shopping. This is not the first time reports have emerged of Taliban crackdowns in this location. Previous incidents have also highlighted harsh treatment of women by Taliban morality police in this district.
The restrictions are not limited to verbal warnings. Earlier this year, during the Eid al-Adha holiday, Taliban agents prevented women without the so-called chador-e-namaz (full-body covering) from entering markets in Badakhshan. What began on May 28 as a ban on women wearing long coats (manto) has now evolved into broader and stricter enforcement.
In the third year of their rule, the Taliban have formalized their “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law across the country. Article 13 of this law, consisting of eight clauses, is dedicated entirely to women’s hijab regulations. The first clause states that “covering the entire body of a woman is mandatory”; the second emphasizes that “covering the face is necessary to avoid temptation”; and the third claims that “a woman’s voice in public is considered ‘awrah’ (a source of shame).”
The implementation of such laws—especially enforced by armed men patrolling with whips—not only violates the fundamental rights of women but contributes to a climate of fear, repression, and systematic exclusion of women from public life.
