Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have ordered female patients, caregivers and staff to wear a burqa (a full Islamic veil) to enter public health facilities in the western city of Herat, says medical organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
MSF said the restrictions came into effect from November 5.
“These restrictions further hamper women’s lives and limit their access to health care,” Sarah Chateau, the agency’s program director in Afghanistan, told the BBC. Even those who “need urgent medical attention” have been affected, he said.
A Taliban government spokesperson has denied MSF’s account. Reports say restrictions have been partially relaxed since the alarm was raised.
MSF, which supports pediatric services at Herat Regional Hospital, said it had seen a 28% drop in admissions of patients whose conditions were urgent during the first days of the new implementation of the law.
Chateau said Taliban members had been denying entry to women without burqas by standing at the entrance to health facilities. A burqa is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving only a mesh to see through.
A Taliban spokesman for the Vice Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention, which enforces strict religious doctrines, dismissed reports that women were being forced to wear the burqa.
“This is totally false. The position of the Ministry of Vice and Virtue is generally on the wearing of hijab,” said Saif-ul-Islam Khyber.
Hijab means covering in general, but it also describes the veils worn by Muslim women.
The Taliban official also rejected reports that women were banned from medical centers for not wearing a burqa.
At the same time, the Taliban official stated: “The hijab is interpreted differently in different parts of the country, most of which are in conflict with Sharia.” [law]”.
Activists have also alleged that Taliban guards have been forcing women to wear burqas to enter key facilities over the past week.
An activist from Herat province told the BBC that the dress code applied to those who wanted to enter hospitals, schools and government offices.
There has also been criticism on social media over the Taliban’s alleged decision to impose the burqa in Herat.
An Afghan activist posted a video on X showing some women setting clothing on fire in protest of Taliban rule. The BBC has not independently verified the video.
The Taliban enforced the burqa during its first period in power in the 1990s.
Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban government has imposed numerous restrictions, particularly on women, in line with its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
In 2022, the Taliban issued a decree ordering women to wear a full Islamic veil in public. Taliban officials then described the face veil decree as “advice.”
“Although the veil issue was announced previously, this is the first time we see the application of the burqa in Herat. In recent days, more and more women are coming to the hospital wearing a burqa,” said Ms. Chateau.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have excluded women from most workplaces and universities and girls from secondary schools. The UN has repeatedly urged the Taliban to end what it describes as “gender apartheid.”
Last week, the UN said it had suspended operations at a key border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran due to restrictions placed on Afghan female staff working on the border.
Islam Qala, in Herat province, has been the main crossing point for hundreds of thousands of Afghans forced to leave Iran last year.
