Taliban Morality Police in Herat Confiscate Children’s Dolls Amid Increasing Restrictions
The Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat has collected several children’s toys, including a pink teddy bear and several humanoid dolls resembling Barbie dolls, from homes.
This move is part of the Taliban administration’s ongoing restrictive policies, which previously ordered clothing stores in Herat to sever the heads of mannequins, as the department considers mannequins to represent idolatry and un-Islamic practices.
Pressure from the morality police on the local population, especially women, has intensified. Women who fail to adhere to the Taliban’s dress codes—such as wearing the burqa, prayer chador, or Arabic-style chador accompanied by a face veil—are being detained.
These actions have had detrimental effects on women’s rights and civil liberties in the region and have prompted widespread condemnation from human rights activists and various segments of society.
