Afghan Women Fear Going Out Alone Due To Taliban Decrees On Clothing, Male Guardians, UN Says

A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group in Kabul.

Afghan women feel scared or unsafe leaving their home alone because of Taliban decrees and enforcement campaigns on clothing and male guardians, according to a report from the UN Mission in Afghanistan. The report was issued days before a UN-convened meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, where member states and special envoys to Afghanistan are expected to discuss engagement with the Taliban. The Taliban have barred women from most areas of public life and stopped girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade as part of harsh measures they imposed after taking power in 2021.