Date: 17/08/1404
Women Doctors and Nurses in Herat Forced to Wear Burqas at Work
Images obtained by Afghanistan International show female doctors and nurses in Herat Hospital administering vaccines to children while wearing burqas. In these images, two female medical staff covered in full-body veils are seen injecting children with vaccines. The Taliban in Herat do not allow women without burqas to enter hospitals.
Last week, the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, along with the provincial governor of Herat, ordered that from now on, women without burqas will not be permitted to enter hospitals, public service institutions, or government offices. Most recently, women have been prevented from entering the Civil Registration Authority in Herat.
On Friday, the Taliban’s Directorate of Hajj and Religious Affairs instructed mosque imams and preachers in Herat to tell drivers during Friday sermons not to transport women who are not wearing burqas. Taliban officials in Herat have warned drivers that they will be punished if they transport women without burqas.

This entry documents the enforcement of a requirement that female healthcare workers in Herat wear burqas while performing their duties. The imposition of dress-based conditions in medical settings reflects the extension of morality-based regulations into the workplace, restricting professional autonomy and contributing to barriers in the provision of healthcare services.