Afghanistan Women Dress Codes and Enforced Appearance Rules (2025)
In 2025, restrictions on women’s dress and appearance in Afghanistan did not ease. Taliban authorities intensified the enforcement of dress and appearance regulations for women and girls, resulting in general arbitrary detentions and restrictions on access to basic rights. United Nations human rights monitors reported that dozens of women and girls were detained across the year, particularly in urban centers such as Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Between 16 and 19 July 2025, UN monitors documented the arrest of a “large number” of women and girls in Kabul as part of an intensified enforcement campaign targeting so-called “improper hijab.”
The use of security cameras was reported to monitor women’s compliance with dress and movement regulations, reinforcing systematic enforcement mechanisms.
Detentions related to dress code violations throughout 2025 frequently involved intimidation, threats, physical violence, and cases of incommunicado detention. These enforcement practices created a climate of fear and a significant decrease in women’s freedom of movement in public spaces.
In November 2025, additional restrictions were enforced in Herat, requiring women to wear a burqa to access healthcare facilities, schools, and government or non-government offices. On 18 November, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirmed that these rules had been in effect since 5 November and applied to all women, including patients, caregivers, and female staff at Herat Provincial Hospital. MSF reported a 28 percent drop in urgent patient admissions during the initial days of enforcement, emphasizing that access to life-saving medical care had effectively been determined by women’s clothing.
In provinces such as Kandahar and others, UN experts documented cases in which women without a mahram were denied essential medical services, worsening health risks, social isolation, and severe humanitarian consequences for women and girls. Taken together, these policies and practices demonstrate a system of institutionalized discrimination targeting women and girls.
Between 16 and 19 July 2025, UN monitors documented the arrest of a “large number” of women and girls in Kabul as part of an intensified enforcement campaign targeting so-called “improper hijab.”
The use of security cameras was reported to monitor women’s compliance with dress and movement regulations, reinforcing systematic enforcement mechanisms.
Detentions related to dress code violations throughout 2025 frequently involved intimidation, threats, physical violence, and cases of incommunicado detention. These enforcement practices created a climate of fear and a significant decrease in women’s freedom of movement in public spaces.
In November 2025, additional restrictions were enforced in Herat, requiring women to wear a burqa to access healthcare facilities, schools, and government or non-government offices. On 18 November, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirmed that these rules had been in effect since 5 November and applied to all women, including patients, caregivers, and female staff at Herat Provincial Hospital. MSF reported a 28 percent drop in urgent patient admissions during the initial days of enforcement, emphasizing that access to life-saving medical care had effectively been determined by women’s clothing.
In provinces such as Kandahar and others, UN experts documented cases in which women without a mahram were denied essential medical services, worsening health risks, social isolation, and severe humanitarian consequences for women and girls. Taken together, these policies and practices demonstrate a system of institutionalized discrimination targeting women and girls.
Malala Yousufzai: “Let’s be clear Taliban do not see women as human beings. They hide their crimes behind cultural and religious justifications.”
