The Aporia · Makeup, colourful scarves: Bizarre reasons Taliban uses to detain women

Between July and September, Afghanistan’s Taliban detained 52 women and one girl in Kabul and Herat for violating strict dress codes and movement restrictions, including infractions like wearing makeup or colorful scarves. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported these detentions and expressed grave concern over verbal abuse, beatings, and threats against detainees. These arrests reflect the Taliban’s enforcement of their 2024 Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which mandates women to cover their entire bodies, including faces in public spaces, and prohibits them from appearing without a male guardian or mahram.

Written by AI on 2026-10-09, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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Between July and September, Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities detained 52 women and one girl in Kabul and Herat for violating strict dress codes. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), detentions were based on trivial reasons such as wearing makeup, colorful scarves, or leaving hair visible. UNAMA expressed “gravely concerned” about these practices, noting that safety concerns and social stigma may mean many cases go unreported. The mission also highlighted reports of verbal abuse, beatings, and threats against women, including female shopkeepers. Taliban officials did not immediately respond to the claims. These actions reflect how closely the Taliban monitors and restricts women’s public appearance and behavior under their rule.

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Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities detained 52 women and one girl between July and September for alleged dress code violations and appearing in public without a male guardian, including for wearing makeup, colourful scarves or leaving their hair visible, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Thursday.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-09

🔮 UNAMA said it was “gravely concerned” about the detentions and threats of arrest, warning that safety concerns and stigma could mean many more cases had gone unreported.

2026-10-09 · Times of India

Makeup, colourful scarves: Bizarre reasons Taliban uses to detain women · assertive framing

Mission → detain → Thursday

The arrests were reported in Kabul and the western city of Herat. asserted

arrests → report → Herat

UNAMA said it was “gravely concerned” about the detentions and threats of arrest, warning that safety concerns and stigma could mean many more cases had gone unreported. uncertain

cases → say → arrest

It also raised alarm over reports of verbal abuse, beatings and threats against women, including female shopkeepers. asserted

It → raise → shopkeepers

The Taliban government did not immediately respond to the statement. asserted

government → respond → statement

What can get women detained under Taliban rule? asserted

women → get → rule

The reasons cited in the latest cases offer a glimpse of how closely the Taliban police women’s appearance and movement in public. asserted

Taliban → cite → public

Women were reportedly detained for not wearing a chador, leaving their hair visible, wearing colourful scarves or makeup, or going out without a mahram, a close male relative who acts as a guardian. uncertain

who → detain → guardian

These restrictions sit alongside the Taliban’s 2024 Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which lays out detailed requirements for women’s clothing and conduct. asserted

which → sit → clothing

Article 13 says women must cover their entire bodies and states that they should cover their faces to prevent fitna. asserted

they → say → fitna

It also requires women to conceal their voices in certain public settings, including singing, reciting or chanting aloud in gatherings. asserted

It → require → gatherings

The law further says women’s clothing must not be thin, short or tight, and that women must conceal their bodies and faces from men who are not close male relatives. asserted

who → say → men

It also says an adult woman leaving home for an urgent need must conceal her voice, face and body. asserted

woman → say → voice

The law applies across Afghanistan and provides for a sequence of enforcement measures, ranging from warnings and fines to detention. asserted

law → apply → detention

The translated text also allows enforcers to impose other punishments they consider appropriate, subject to the law’s stated conditions. asserted

they → translate → conditions

A wider crackdown on women Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including barring girls from education beyond primary school and curbing women’s movement and participation in public life. asserted

Taliban → return → life

The latest detentions come months after Taliban authorities opened fire on a rare protest in Herat in June over the arrest of women for alleged dress code violations. asserted

authorities → come → violations

At least one person was killed and several others were wounded, according to witnesses and UNAMA. uncertain

others → kill → witnesses

Makeup, colourful scarves: Bizarre reasons Taliban uses to detain women

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