Full guardianship… The Taliban push women back into an era of isolation in the name of virtue

The Taliban movement continues to tighten its grip on women’s lives in Afghanistan, imposing new restrictions that prevent them from working, traveling, or even receiving medical care without being accompanied by a mahram, meaning a male relative by blood or marriage.

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These measures, documented in a report by the London-based newspaper Al-Arab, have triggered a wave of international criticism, with the United Nations describing them as “a historic setback for Afghan women’s rights.”

According to information cited by the newspaper and based on UN reports, authorities arrested three female healthcare workers last month as they were heading to work without a mahram. They were released after their families pledged that the incident would not happen again.

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Since last December, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has banned unaccompanied women from entering health centers in Paktia province and has been conducting field inspections to ensure compliance.

The campaign has expanded to include schools, offices, and public markets, where the Taliban ministry enforces what it calls “full-veil regulations” and oversees field inspections to verify “moral adherence.”

In Kandahar, the religious police have raided transportation hubs to ensure that no woman travels long distances without a mahram. Drivers have been instructed not to allow any woman to board alone. Some women were recently detained simply for purchasing contraceptives, even though the movement has not officially banned them.

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This escalation indicates that the Taliban are no longer limiting themselves to restricting education and employment. They now aim to impose “full guardianship” over women, making their presence in public entirely conditional on male permission and oversight. Observers argue that this policy reflects an ideology that views women as “elements to be controlled,” not as partners in society.

With no organized internal resistance, Afghanistan today appears to be moving toward a rigid system of social segregation that resurrects the past in the name of Sharia and closes the last remaining windows on women’s hopes for a normal life.

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