Taliban Morality Police Crack Down on Women’s Dress in Herat, Hitting Local Business

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing AFP, Taliban morality police in early June detained dozens of women in Herat in western Afghanistan for not wearing a chador cloak or burqa as required, prompting rare local protests that were violently dispersed; the United Nations said at least two people were killed. Merchants said the stepped-up enforcement has led many women to reduce outings for fear of being stopped, driving a sharp drop in market activity, with one shop owner estimating turnover has fallen by about half. A shoe store owner said about 90% of his sales come from female customers, while a motorized rickshaw driver said his daily earnings have fallen to about USD 4 from around USD 9. The UN estimates excluding women from economic activity could cost Afghanistan USD 1 billion a year.