Taliban's Controversial Approach: Sending Afghan Women to Prison for Protection

A UN report reveals that Taliban officials in Afghanistan are sending women to prison under the guise of protecting them from gender-based violence. Prior to the Taliban's takeover, there were 23 state-sponsored women protection centers in the country, but now there are none. Women are sent to prison if they have no safe male relatives to stay with, and authorities have asked male relatives to provide commitments that they will not harm their female relatives. Women and girls have faced increasing restrictions since the Taliban's takeover, including being barred from education beyond sixth grade, public spaces, and most jobs. The closure of beauty salons and the exclusion of women from the judiciary and law enforcement further exacerbate the dire situation for women's rights in Afghanistan.