The Taliban has intensified its crackdown on Afghan women, employing violence against protesters and detaining individuals accused of violating strict dress codes, according to reports from the United Nations, human rights groups, and aid organizations.

In the western city of Herat, Taliban authorities arrested at least 30 women for alleged breaches of the government's Islamic dress requirements, the UN agency for women's rights confirmed late last week. Some of those detained were subsequently released. Among the detained was a staff member from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who was held for two days in early June after being stopped by the Taliban's Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ministry while on her way to the regional hospital. The MSF worker was released on June 8 after she and her family signed a pledge to comply with the ministry’s mandated clothing guidelines.

The arrests and treatment of women prompted protests in Herat, with demonstrators calling for “Work, Education, and Freedom.” The Taliban reportedly responded with force, opening fire on protesters including men, women, and children, in some cases using beatings to quell dissent. The UN reported that at least two individuals, including an 11-year-old boy, were killed, and over 20 were wounded during the suppression of the demonstrations.

A witness interviewed by Human Rights Watch described Taliban forces shooting at those attempting to flee and violently dispersing crowds, including targeting children to drive them home. Witnesses noted that some injured protesters avoided hospitals due to fears of arrest, with subsequent reports indicating Taliban forces conducted house-to-house and hospital-to-hospital searches for those wounded.

Despite multiple accounts and video evidence, the Taliban has denied allegations of widespread human rights abuses, characterizing the reports as rumor. The Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Ministry reaffirmed the enforcement of the hijab, describing it as a divine and obligatory law. Under the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, women must cover their faces, which are considered awrah, or intimate parts of the body.

Restrictions on women have escalated severely, with girls barred from attending school beyond sixth grade and limited access to public spaces. Domestic violence is tolerated within parameters defined by the Taliban’s penal code, which criminalizes excessive physical abuse resulting in visible injury but permits lesser forms of domestic discipline.

Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, Fereshta Abbasi, condemned the increasing curtailment of rights, saying the Taliban are intensifying repression to silence dissent and suppress free expression. She noted that such punishments do not eliminate opposition but instead contribute to a growing record of human rights violations under Taliban rule.

The Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has also articulated controversial views on consent and marriage, stating that a girl’s silence during a marriage proposal is considered consent due to perceived social inhibitions, underscoring the regime’s restrictive and patriarchal stance on women’s rights and autonomy.