Three young girls have reportedly been arrested by Herat policewomen for the crime of home escape, according to local Taliban authorities in the western Afghan province of Herat.
These three girls were reportedly taken into custody from the 6th district of Herat city, the provincial capital, according to the Taliban government’s office of the chief of police in Herat.
The case concerning the three young girls has reportedly been brought before the appropriate judicial agencies and authorities in Herat for consideration.
The Herat police chief’s office, however, provided no further information regarding the reasons why the three girls left their homes.
A boy and a girl from the fifth district of Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan were earlier arrested by Taliban security officers on grounds of running away from home.
Afghan women have been subjected to forced marriages and domestic violence, and Human Rights Watch reports that up to 70% of cases of “running away” from home are related to fleeing forced marriage or domestic violence.
Following the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan, various “draconian” edicts are issued, severely restricting women’s rights, including freedom of movement, as they are not permitted to travel without a male chaperone, a mahram.
