Kabul - New York: Europe and the Arabs
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed deep concern over recent arbitrary arrests and detention of women and girls by de facto authorities in Afghanistan over their alleged non-compliance with Islamic dress codes.
In a press statement issued by the mission on Thursday, it said that since January 1, it had documented in the provinces of Kabul and Daikundi a series of campaigns to implement hijab decrees by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the police affiliated with the de facto authority.
The mission added that in the capital, Kabul, large numbers of women and girls were warned and detained, and women and girls were also arrested in the city of Nili in Daikundi state.
UNAMA is looking into allegations of ill-treatment and incommunicado detention, and that religious and ethnic minority communities appear to be disproportionately affected by law enforcement operations.
To secure the release of female detainees, the mahram, or male guardian, must sign a letter guaranteeing future compliance or face punishment. The UN mission said it was also looking into allegations that payments had been requested in exchange for the release of female detainees.

Humiliating and dangerous measures
Enforcement measures involving physical violence are “particularly humiliating and dangerous for Afghan women and girls,” said Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
"Arrests carry enormous stigma, putting Afghan women at greater risk. They also destroy public trust," she added. UNAMA fears that the current crackdown will push women further into isolation due to fear of arbitrary arrest, and create a permissive environment for men to enforce repressive measures at home.
The mission said it discussed these issues with the de facto authorities, including the de facto Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, and called for the immediate release of detainees.
The mission reiterated to the de facto authorities that Afghanistan as a state remains a party to seven core international human rights legal instruments. UN Security Council Resolution No. 2681 of 2023 called on the Taliban to quickly reverse policies and practices that restrict women and girls’ enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.