UK Parliament Warns of Taliban’s Role in Domestic Enforcement of Women’s Restrictions

Mostafa Sheikh, head of the Iqbal Centre for Contemporary Islamic Studies at the University of Leeds, told a session in the UK Parliament that the Taliban regime, by imposing strict regulations, has turned men into enforcers of restrictions against women. He explained that the Taliban’s envisioned penal structure is designed in such a way that each household becomes a site for implementing the regime-approved rules. According to him, this approach extends supervision and control over women beyond official institutions, embedding it at the family level as well.

These remarks come amid the Taliban administration’s extensive restrictions over recent years on women’s education, work, and social presence in Afghanistan—restrictions that have faced ongoing criticism from human rights organizations and the international community.

Experts warn that the continuation of such policies could profoundly challenge family structures and social relations in Afghanistan, further increasing pressure on women.