UN urges Afghan Taliban to end arrests of women over dress rules

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned about arrests in Herat of women allegedly for not following dress rules; local media say at least 21 women and girls were detained.
The reported arrests follow a Taliban directive banning women from appearing in public without a “proper hijab” — including showing their faces or wearing makeup — with punishments threatened.
The move fits a wider pattern of post‑2021 restrictions on women in Afghanistan, and UNICEF warns the country could lose over 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 if limits persist.