Harmony Foundation Slams Taliban Over Afghan Women’s Dress Code Arrests
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated that women were detained for not wearing a chador, having visible hair, wearing colourful scarves or makeup, or being in public without a mahram.
Pune: The Harmony Foundation has criticized the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan for arresting and detaining dozens of women for alleged violations of dress codes and for appearing in public without a male guardian.
According to a statement released by the United Nations, at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Herat and Kabul between July and September 2026.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated that women were detained for not wearing a chador, having visible hair, wearing colourful scarves or makeup, or being in public without a mahram.
The mission warned that the number of cases could be higher due to underreporting.
“These detentions violate women's and girls' rights to freedom of movement, expression, and autonomy,” said Dr. Abraham Mathai, founder chairman of Harmony Foundation in a statement.
They expose women to severe social stigma in traditional Afghan society, it added.
In June, Afghan authorities opened fire on a rare protest in Herat over these arrests, killing at least one person and injuring several others.
"This is the ugly face of Taliban radicalism,” said Dr. Mathai, also former vice chairman of Maharashtra State Minority Commission.
“It is the same poison that we witnessed on the Flydubai flight, where a co-pilot, driven by hateful ideology, attempted to crash a plane and kill 174 innocent people,” he noted.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for senior Taliban officials for systematically depriving women and girls of their rights.
“This is a clear recognition that what is happening in Afghanistan is not governance; it is oppression,” Dr Mathai said, adding that it is high time that the world condemns this radicalism in one voice.
"The world cannot remain silent while women are arrested for showing their hair, for wearing colourful scarves, for stepping outside without a man,” the statement said.
“This is not culture. This is not religion. This is radicalism, and it must be fought with the same resolve that Captain Smit Machchhar showed when he faced death and chose to save lives on the ill-fated Flydubai flight,” it said.
“We call upon the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and all nations that stand for human dignity to act decisively,” the statement said, adding that sanctions must be imposed and diplomatic pressure must be applied to hold the Taliban accountable.