Taliban Arrest, Lash Girls For Violating 'Hijab Rules' In Afghanistan

In Kabul, girls as young as 16 have been arrested for violating the strict hijab regulations imposed by the Taliban. These adolescents were detained in different public settings such as shopping centers, educational institutions, and street markets, on charges of purportedly advocating and endorsing the use of 'bad hijab' and makeup.

According to a report from The Guardian, a 16-year-old girl named Lale (name changed to protect her identity) narrated her arrest while attending an English language class.

She detailed instances where girls who resisted were subjected to beatings, and she personally experienced lashes on her feet and legs when attempting to engage in dialogue with the Taliban. Subsequently, her father faced severe beatings for what was perceived as "raising immoral girls."

Lale underwent a two-day and two-night detention, during which the Taliban continuously branded them as infidels for pursuing the study of English and harboring aspirations to travel abroad.

Her release occurred following the intervention of community elders, and she was required to sign a document pledging not to venture outside her home without a head-covering. Consequently, she has been prohibited from attending her English classes, as reported.

Lale expressed her hopelessness, saying, "I was barred from school when the Taliban took over in 2021 and now I cannot even go to my private classes." 

"I can no longer imagine anything for my future other than staying home and getting married," she added.

Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, remarked on the situation, stating, "The arrests of women in Afghanistan are a further crackdown on the basic rights of women and can be intimidating and put more pressure even on women who are still working in the health, primary education, and nutrition sectors, and they would not appear in public as they used to."

In a video circulated on social media on Wednesday, Jan 10 Ehsanullah Saqib, a Taliban security official, spoke to a gathering of religious scholars in Kabul's Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood. He disclosed that “with the assistance of women police, we have arrested several women and girls who were not wearing hijab in the past week.”

Since the Taliban's resurgence to power in August 2021, they have implemented a strict interpretation of Islamic law, significantly impacting women. These laws, labeled as "gender apartheid" by the United Nations have led to women being largely excluded from public life, requiring a male relative to accompany them during travel and mandating the covering of all but their hands and eyes when outside. Despite these regulations, it is not uncommon to observe women in Kabul who do not cover their mouths.

In a video captured by a local media outlet, Ehsanullah, during his speech stated that females were detained for being "totally without hijab" and for wearing trousers, leggings and dresses instead of fully covering garments. He clarified the rationale behind these arrests, explaining that they were made to alert their families about the women roaming without hijab and to encourage preventive measures.