UN verifies dress-code arrests of Afghan women as nearly 6.5 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan
8 October 2026
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) verified that at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Herat and Kabul between July and September, as announced on 8 October 2026.
Many were detained for not wearing a chador, having visible hair, wearing colourful scarves or makeup, or being in public without a mahram (male guardian). They were released after several hours.
UNAMA urged the de facto authorities to cease discriminatory enforcement practices targeting women and girls.
IOM's Returnee Resilience Overview covers nearly 6.5 million Afghans who returned from Iran and Pakistan since 2023.
In its key findings on undocumented returnee households and individuals who had been in Afghanistan for at least eight months, among those aged 14 and above, 53 per cent had no completed education and 69 per cent had not been employed in the 30 days before the interview; 77 per cent lived in transitional shelters.
In plain words
UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan — The UN political mission that monitors and reports on human rights in Afghanistan.
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN migration agency.
Mahram Male guardian — A male guardian whom women are required to be accompanied by in public under the dress code rules.