The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has warned that the Taliban’s stringent bans on women’s education and employment could slash Afghanistan’s economy by $1.4 billion annually, according to World Bank estimates cited in a new UN report.
The findings, released on Thursday, link these economic losses to the Taliban’s enforcement of its “Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law, which UNAMA says is deepening the country’s dire financial crisis.
The report, covering the past six months, details how the Vice and Virtue law, which is part of the Taliban’s push to establish a “pure” Islamic system, has granted its morality police sweeping powers to arbitrarily detain individuals and confiscate property. Men, women, youth, and minorities across Afghanistan have felt the law’s impact, with violations of privacy and disruptions to economic activity reported nationwide.
Women and girls face particularly severe restrictions, including dress code enforcement, limits on accessing public spaces, and a requirement to travel with a male guardian, or mahram.
UNAMA highlighted that these measures have drastically curtailed women’s access to healthcare, with female healthcare workers telling the mission they are barred from workplaces without a mahram.
The United Nations Security Council, in its Resolution 2777 passed on 17 March 2025, has demanded the Taliban repeal the law and lift these restrictions immediately.
The UN mission also noted a troubling ripple effect, with a quarterly survey by the UN Women’s Section showing a sharp rise in family and community enforcement of the Taliban’s rules.
Between August and October 2024, the percentage of male family members imposing restrictions on women doubled from 22 percent to 44 percent. Enforcement by religious scholars rose from 26 percent to 45 percent, and by community elders from 18 percent to 33 percent.
UNAMA cautioned that this trend is normalising the curbs, reshaping social and familial dynamics, and fostering a climate of fear and uncertainty.
As the Taliban’s morality police continue their arbitrary enforcement, UNAMA warned that many Afghans are increasingly aligning their behaviour with the law’s provisions, further entrenching its impact on society and the economy.
