Afghan women and girls are being arrested, detained and threatened with arrest by Taliban authorities, the UN warned on Thursday as record numbers of returnees struggle to rebuild their lives back home.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) verified that at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Herat and Kabul between July and September, while other women were threatened with arrest.
The true number could be far higher, the mission said in a statement, because fear and stigma stop many cases from being reported.
Pattern of abuse
Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, women and girls' rights have been severely restricted, keeping them from secondary education, jobs and out of the public eye.
Recent arrests were related to alleged violations of the de facto authorities' dress code requirements, according to UNAMA.
Many of the women were detained for not wearing a chador, having visible hair, wearing colourful scarves or makeup - or being in public without a mahram (male guardian).
"The women were released after spending several hours in detention," the mission reported.
Beatings, threats
Alarmed by incidents involving verbal abuse, beatings and threats against women - including female shopkeepers - UNAMA reiterated that these acts violate women and girls' rights to freedom of movement, expression and autonomy.
Arrests and detentions also expose women and girls to severe social stigma and further marginalisation, UNAMA said.
The Mission urged the de facto authorities to cease discriminatory enforcement practices targeting women and girls, ensure respect for the human rights and dignity of all Afghans and uphold Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
Record returns
At the same time, the International Organization for Migration ( IOM ) just released new findings on critical needs and reintegration barriers for nearly 6.5 million Afghans who have returned from Iran and Pakistan since 2023.
"Afghanistan is receiving returnees at a scale and pace that requires sustained support beyond the point of arrival," said Mihyung Park, IOM chief of mission in the country.
"The findings show that many returnees intend to stay and rebuild their lives, but their ability to do so depends on access to livelihoods, safe shelter, documentation and essential services alongside support for the communities receiving them."
The Returnee Resilience Overview also examines the situation of undocumented returnee households and individual returnees who had been in Afghanistan for at least eight months since arrival.
Key findings:
- Among those aged 14 and above, 53 per cent had no completed education, half had no specialised experience and 69 per cent had not been employed in the 30 days before the interview
- 82 per cent returned as households, with an average size of 6.1 members
- 58 per cent were under 18
- 77 per cent lived in transitional shelters while 51 per cent lacked sufficient living space.
- 21 per cent of household respondents reported that all household members had documentation, while 43 per cent lacked the documentation needed to access relevant services
Read the full report here
These findings underscore that support to returnees must extend beyond the point of arrival, IOM said, calling for sustained investment in durable solutions,
The UN migration agency also called for area-based reintegration approaches that strengthen livelihoods, shelter, documentation support and access to basic services for returnees and host communities, helping build the conditions needed for long-term stability, resilience and social cohesion.
