Makeup, colourful scarves: Bizarre reasons Taliban uses to detain women

File photo: Taliban detain 53 over dress code Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities detained 52 women and one girl between July and September for alleged dress code violations and appearing in public without a male guardian, including for wearing makeup, colourful scarves or leaving their hair visible, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Thursday.The arrests were reported in Kabul and the western city of Herat. UNAMA said it was “gravely concerned” about the detentions and threats of arrest, warning that safety concerns and stigma could mean many more cases had gone unreported. It also raised alarm over reports of verbal abuse, beatings and threats against women, including female shopkeepers. The Taliban government did not immediately respond to the statement.What can get women detained under Taliban rule?The reasons cited in the latest cases offer a glimpse of how closely the Taliban police women’s appearance and movement in public. Women were reportedly detained for not wearing a chador, leaving their hair visible, wearing colourful scarves or makeup, or going out without a mahram, a close male relative who acts as a guardian.These restrictions sit al...