Afghan women fear going out alone due to Taliban decrees on clothing and male guardians, UN says

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.N. mission in Afghanistan says women are scared to leave the home alone because of Taliban rules on clothing and male guardians. The Taliban have barred women from most areas of public life and stopped girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They are also restricting women’s access to work, travel and health care if they are unmarried or don’t have a male guardian and arresting those who don’t comply with the Taliban’s interpretation of hijab, or Islamic headscarf. The Friday report said women described how enforcement has increased harassment in public spaces and further limited their ability to leave the home.