A hijab inspection, a slap, a warning letter: Inside three months of Taliban rule

Three Months Under the Taliban: Daily Life Transformed by New Restrictions

Provpnmatrix.com – Life for ordinary Afghans has undergone a dramatic shift during the spring of 2026, with daily routines increasingly governed by strict interpretations of Islamic law. According to a comprehensive new assessment by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the space available for women, religious minorities, and those who voice opposition continues to contract at an alarming rate.

The report paints a picture of a society where seemingly minor infractions can lead to public humiliation or arrest. A woman caught purchasing provisions without male accompaniment might see the shopkeeper slapped and dragged away for questioning. A teacher could find herself barred from her own classroom simply because she wore the wrong type of cloak. These are not rare occurrences but rather the everyday reality for many citizens.

Enforcing Modesty: Hijab Inspections and Public Punishments

Between April and June 2026, UN human rights monitors documented a surge in enforcement actions related to dress codes and public behavior. At least thirty women were detained in Herat alone during a three-day period in early June for allegedly wearing “improper hijab.” This wave of arrests coincided with official announcements from the de facto Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs, which declared that observing proper hijab would be the central theme of Friday sermons beginning June 19.

Imams across the country received detailed instructions in a ten-page document outlining exactly what constitutes appropriate head covering. The guidelines specified that a hijab must envelop the entire body except for the eyes, should be made of thick, loose fabric, and must contain no decorative elements or scents.

Enforcement extended beyond religious leaders to everyday commerce. Shops and medical facilities received orders prohibiting women from entering without a male guardian, known as a mahram. Even cosmetic stores in Kandahar city, which primarily serve female customers, began enforcing this rule strictly.

In one particularly notable incident in Logar province, a woman received only a verbal warning for shopping alone, while the male shopkeeper faced physical punishment. He was slapped and taken to the local Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice office, where he remained for several hours before community elders intervened. His release came only after he signed a formal letter promising not to sell goods to unaccompanied women going forward.

Legal Changes and Educational Exclusion

April brought significant legislative developments affecting family law. Authorities introduced a new Code on Judicial Separation of Spouses that fundamentally altered women’s autonomy within marriage. Under this framework, a woman’s marital status becomes contingent upon her guardian’s approval. The report noted that this decree “implicitly sanctions child marriage” while simultaneously creating “extreme obstacles” for women attempting to obtain divorce or separation.

Educational opportunities for girls and women remain severely limited following the December 2022 ban on female higher education. Despite nationwide university entrance examinations conducted in May and June, participation was exclusively male. Only 120,000 prospective male students sat for these tests, with zero women or girls taking part.

Taliban civil servants from the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice office conducted regular school inspections during this period. In Herat, female educators who failed to wear a chador—a full-body cloak—were prevented from entering girls’ schools and cautioned that job loss could follow.

Arbitrary Detentions and Violence Against Vulnerable Groups

UNAMA’s documentation reveals widespread patterns of arbitrary detention and mistreatment. The mission recorded at least 389 cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions, alongside 65 incidents of ill-treatment carried out by de facto religious police personnel. Most violations involved alleged breaches of hijab regulations for women, men with trimmed beards or “Western” hairstyles, and individuals caught playing or listening to music.

Judicial corporal punishment remained a common practice, with at least 137 instances carried out during the reporting period. This included 112 men and 25 women receiving public floggings for offenses ranging from breaking the Ramadan fast to engaging in illicit relationships.

Former government officials and members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) continued to face significant danger. The report documented at least 29 arbitrary arrests and detentions of these individuals, five cases of torture and ill-treatment, and eight killings of former security personnel between April 1 and June 30.

Those involuntarily returned to Afghanistan from abroad also remained vulnerable. In one documented case from Herat, a former Afghan National Army officer disappeared on the very day he was forcibly repatriated from Iran.

Security Concerns and Religious Minorities

Violence against civilians persisted throughout the period. A particularly deadly attack occurred on April 10 in Herat, when a bomb exploded among civilians picnicking near a Shia shrine. The blast claimed twelve lives and injured fourteen others, though no organization claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Religious minorities also faced increasing pressure. Since January, authorities have shut down numerous Ismaili places of worship, known as jamaat khana, in Badakhshan province and directed worshippers to cease using these facilities.

Perhaps most symbolically significant is the ongoing exclusion of women from United Nations facilities. Since September 7, 2025, Afghan women have been prohibited from entering UN premises nationwide, whether as employees, contractors, or visitors. As of June 30, this ban had persisted for 296 consecutive days, representing one of the most visible manifestations of gender discrimination under Taliban rule.