Baharan Lehab

Herat — Afghan women face daily violations under the Taliban, yet they sometimes respond collectively to resist these abuses. Recently in Kabul, hundreds of girls were arrested for “not wearing the hijab” and sent to prisons.

Reports of women being imprisoned and tortured have circulated, and this time, the victims were women in Herat. Although most women in the city comply with the loose, long hijab known locally as the “prayer hijab,” the Taliban have recently tightened restrictions, surpassing local cultural norms of hijab adherence.

In a new measure, tailors were prohibited from sewing women’s clothing, healthcare institutions were ordered to allow only female doctors to treat women, and morality police began monitoring women in markets to enforce the so-called “Taliban hijab”, marking a clear escalation of restrictions on Afghan women.

Reports Document Deaths of Women and Children Denied Healthcare

In a grave escalation of restrictions on women in Herat, those not wearing the niqab or hijab have recently been barred from entering the city’s only public hospital — a measure that affected both patients and female doctors. Reports confirm that several women and children lost their lives after being denied medical care.

On November 7, female hospital staff held a protest outside the hospital gates, stressing that the facility serves not only Herat but also neighboring cities, making the decision a direct threat to the lives of thousands of women.

Women Protest Taliban’s Repressive Policies

In this context, Dr. Masouda Omid recounted the details of their protest:

“Two days ago, I tried to enter the hospital to perform my duty, but I was denied entry — along with several patients and their children. After hours of waiting, we asked why. The answer was, ‘You must wear the hijab first, then you may enter.’ I had no choice but to return home.”

She continued,

“I couldn’t sleep that night. I saw, at the hospital gate, a mother holding her suffering child, pleading to be allowed inside. Nearby, an elderly woman from a neighboring town lay on the damp ground as her son begged for help. Dozens of women and children were in the same situation. We, the healthcare workers, also pleaded to provide assistance, but they ignored us — they ignored the patients’ pain.”

After a long silence, she added, struggling to contain her anger:

“It was freezing cold, and I couldn’t forget the images of patients spending the night outside the locked hospital doors. I stayed awake until midnight when a colleague called, feeling the same grief. In that moment, we decided to protest.”

“The next morning, we gathered — the female staff — in front of the hospital, despite the Taliban’s attempts to disperse us and the journalists. Our demand was simple: to be allowed to continue our work. Our country and its women need us. But they insisted we wear the niqab as a condition for entry. In protest, we treated only patients wearing the burqa, joking bitterly, ‘Should we perform surgeries while they’re wearing it too?’

By the end of the day, we burned the burqa as an act of defiance. We will not let the Taliban impose their unjust rules. People’s lives are our priority, and we will continue our struggle with all the strength we have

The protests of the female employees at Herat Hospital once again embodied the resilience of Afghan women in the face of the Taliban’s oppression. Despite threats, dangers, and imposed restrictions, women continue their struggle for their right to work and to live with dignity and humanity. The cry of Masouda Omid and her colleagues was a powerful voice of Afghan women’s determination, who continue to carry the torch of hope even in the darkest moments.