Growing restrictions on women limits access to essential services across Afghanistan

Women across Afghanistan are being denied access to basic services simply because of what they are wearing. Strict dress requirements for women has become a matter of policing and control in the country following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. In May 2022, the regime ordered women to cover their faces in public by wearing burqas or hijabs, with the threat of criminal punishment if they fail to adhere to these decrees.

In recent months, humanitarian organisations have reported that women who do not wear a burqa – a full-body covering – have been turned away from hospitals, even in emergency situations.

According to medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), female patients and staff were ordered to wear a burqa to enter public health places in Herat or were refused entry. It also reported a 28 percent drop in female emergency patients at Herat Regional Hospital after these rules were enforced in November 2025, highlighting how women are being deterred from accessing medical services unless they comply.

These enforcement practices not only show the restrictions women have to contend with in Afghan society, but also the health risks posed by access to essential services being based on their compliance to dress codes.

It is something that impacts women every day, with those that are sick or vulnerable being hit the hardest by the restrictions.

Authorities have publicly claimed that the enforcement of modest dress is mandatory nationwide, but they deny issuing new rules demanding a specific type of covering.

There have also been reports of women protesting these restrictions symbolically by burning the burqas they were forced to wear. International media reports suggest these women faced intimidation and the threat of punishment, which has discouraged others from speaking out.

As a woman, the situation is upsetting and frightening. Clothing should never determine whether we are able to receive medical care or not. It is painful to see women treated as if their presence in public spaces is a problem. Many girls are growing up believing they must hide themselves to be accepted. That their voices don’t matter in this society. And that it is normal to be policed.

I personally know women who avoid leaving their homes because they are afraid of being stopped, questioned, or humiliated. These rules do not protect women, they isolate them and put their lives at risk.

Local communities should join the brave protestors and speak out against practices that endanger women. And international organisations must continue to pressure authorities to ensure women can access healthcare and public services without fear.

What we wear should have no bearing on accessing essential health services. If these restrictions continue, more women will suffer in silence.

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Written by:
Madina
Edited by:
Sarah Hussain