Afghan women who have been subjected to harassment and violence report that Taliban morality police in Herat have resumed aggressive inspections of women’s dress, and stopping.
They said that these forces interrogate and abuse females ranging in age from 12 to about 70 for wearing a local dress that’s not favoured by the Taliban in public.
The manto is a common form of outerwear in Herat, worn by many women instead of a burqa or other traditional garments. The Taliban have recently banned the garment in the city and now bar women from moving in public while wearing it. The style, also known as Arab dress or Arab hijab, is widely worn in several Islamic countries.
Sources told Afghanistan International on Thursday that Taliban morality police have deployed officers in busy areas including Pul-e Rangina, Cinema Square, Golha Square, Darb-e Iraq, Mostofiyat Square and other crowded parts of the city to monitor women’s hijab.
Reports of Violent Conduct
Eyewitnesses said Taliban officers have stopped public transport vehicles, taxis and rickshaws at several central locations, forcing women who are not wearing a Burqa or prayer veil to get out of vehicles.
One witness said a Taliban morality officer slapped a driver for transporting a woman wearing a manto.
Afghanistan International learned that on Wednesday, following disputes over hijab at Golha Square, several women were detained by the Taliban and taken to an undisclosed location. Another eyewitness said several women were also detained on Thursday, January 15.
Accounts From Residents
Most women who spoke to Afghanistan International said their hijab fully covered their bodies, yet they were still harassed.
One woman said: “Yesterday I was wearing full winter hijab, just without a prayer veil. They forced me off a public bus and did not allow any vehicle or taxi to take me. I was left stranded in Golha Square. When they finally allowed me to leave, I had to go into a side alley and return home by rickshaw.”
Another woman said: “Today I was in a vehicle with my brother. They stopped the vehicle and beat the driver in front of us for picking up women wearing manto. We were not detained, but they warned drivers not to transport women who wear manto.”
A man told Afghanistan International that Taliban officers stopped his 12-year-old daughter and told her she should not leave the house without a burqa. He said tensions escalated after he told them his daughter was only 12, and that he was detained for about half an hour. During that time, he said, he saw at least 15 other women being stopped.
A girl from Herat said she was accompanying her sister to a cardiac hospital when Taliban officers blocked their passage. Her sister, who was wearing a manto, was carrying medication. “Several morality police officers were stationed at the entrances of all alleys connected to Pul-e Rangina and Majidi Street and were not allowing women wearing manto to pass,” she said.
Another woman reported witnessing an argument between a woman of about 70 and Taliban officers. According to her account, the elderly woman shouted at men nearby: “Why are you indifferent in the face of the Taliban?”
Previous Restrictions
The Taliban have previously detained and beaten women in Herat, including some healthcare workers, for not wearing a burqa. Despite the restrictions, some women in the city continue to wear Arab style hijab and manto.
The Taliban have also banned the provision of government services to women without a burqa in Herat city and some surrounding districts. Videos received by Afghanistan International show Taliban morality police preventing women from entering the central hospital because they were not wearing a burqa.
