UN reports the Taliban imprisoning women who have no male relatives

The United Nations released a report Thursday morning saying that the Afghanistan-based Islamic terror group sometimes sent women to prison under the guise of protecting them from gender-based violence. Even women with male relatives may be imprisoned if the man is deemed unsafe. The UN noted Afghanistan previously had over a dozen women’s shelters for abuse survivors, which were all shut down. A defacto police officer in Afghanistan said the country does not need the shelters, calling them a Western concept, according to the report.

What is life under the Taliban like for women who are not imprisoned? Women and girls have been barred from receiving an education beyond the sixth grade since the Taliban took power in 2021. Women must legally follow a strict dress code and are barred from many public spaces and forms of employment, according to the UN report. The Taliban ordered all beauty salons to close in July, removing one of the few spaces for women outside the home. Women must also have a male chaperone for journeys beyond 45 miles.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report in WORLD Magazine on life under the Taliban.