In Kandahar province, restaurant owners have confirmed to The Afghan Times that women are no longer allowed to enter restaurants. While the Taliban have not publicly announced the ban, the group local officials reportedly instructed restaurant owners not to allow women to dine inside.
Arifullah, a Kandahar resident, told The Afghan Times that he and his wife were recently denied entry to a local restaurant. “When I wanted to have a meal with my wife, the restaurant owner told me that women are not allowed inside,” he said. “I decided to have breakfast with my wife on the roadside instead,” he added.
A restaurant manager, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, confirmed the ban.
He said that two months ago, the provincial Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice instructed all restaurant owners in Kandahar not to allow women inside, whether accompanied by a male guardian (mahram) or not.
“This decision has seriously affected our daily operations. Restaurant businesses have suffered, and managing our services has become very difficult,” he told The Afghan Times.
Under broader Taliban rules, women are generally prohibited from traveling more than 72–75 kilometers (approximately 45–46 miles) or leaving the country without a male guardian (mahram).
The rule is strictly enforced through checkpoints and inspections, with both the woman and any driver transporting her subject to potential punishment.
Women in Kandahar have said they are frustrated by being banned from entering restaurants.
Fermi K., who previously visited restaurants with her brother, condemned the Taliban’s policy. “This ban has taken away our basic right to sit and eat in public. I do not understand what the Taliban want from women,” she said.
Fermi also warned that the restrictions are causing serious psychological distress. “Many women are under extreme mental pressure, and some even consider suicide because there is a new restriction targeting women almost every day,” she added.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed “deep concern” over escalating bans and restrictions targeting women under Taliban rule.
In its latest human rights update, UNAMA reported that Taliban authorities have intensified policies forcing women to rely on male guardians (mahrams) for basic movement and access to services, contributing to the “systemic exclusion of women and girls from public life.”
The mission noted growing limitations on women’s access to healthcare, markets, workplaces and public spaces without male accompaniment.
The report further stated that Taliban morality police and local officials have “instructed healthcare providers not to treat female patients without a male guardian” and have continued to enforce strict travel and participation rules that restrict women’s freedoms.
UNAMA urged Taliban to reverse discriminatory practices and allow women and girls to fully exercise their rights without discrimination.
