Women Banned from Small Restaurants in Kandahar

Sources in Kandahar report that the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Amr bil Maroof) is preventing women from accessing small eateries, tea houses, and similar public places in the province, even though separate sections have been designated for women in these venues.

According to sources, the virtue police regularly patrol various parts of the city day and night, and have also warned restaurant owners not to allow women to dine inside.

During their patrols, the morality police reportedly stop people for searches, and if women are present in the vehicles, they demand to see marriage certificates (Nikah Nama).

Similarly, in Kabul, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has increased raids on several restaurants, especially monitoring those where families come to eat together.

Sources say that in recent days the virtue police have intensified their surveillance, instructing women in various streets to wear masks and cover their faces.

During their more than four years in power, the Taliban have barred girls from schools, restricted their access to parks and other social activities, and severely curtailed their freedoms.