A paramedic working for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was arrested and detained for two days in Herat, Afghanistan, after being accused of violating the country's strict dress code for women, the organization confirmed on Friday. The incident occurred when the female staffer was on her way to work at a hospital in the western city of Herat.
According to Sarah Champion, MSF's program manager for Afghanistan, the paramedic was stopped at a checkpoint operated by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice for not wearing a face covering. She was wearing her approved work uniform, which had been authorized by Afghanistan's Health Ministry for female hospital staff.
Despite explaining her employment at the hospital, she and her husband were arrested upon arrival at the facility and detained for two days. MSF expressed outrage over the arrest, stating that it was part of a broader enforcement of dress code requirements in Herat.
The organization emphasized that this incident is not isolated and that women in Afghanistan already face severe restrictions on movement and access to public life, directly impacting healthcare delivery across the country. The United Nations reported that at least 30 women were arrested in Herat over the weekend for alleged dress code violations, sparking a rare protest on Monday that was violently dispersed by Taliban police.
At least one person was killed and several others injured in the police response. Before their release, the paramedic and her husband were forced to sign a written commitment that she would wear a niqab, a garment covering the entire body and face, leaving only the eyes visible.
The document stipulated that failure to comply could result in a one-month jail sentence. Additionally, the woman's father, brother, and brother-in-law were required to sign the document as guarantors.
MSF currently operates seven projects in Afghanistan, focusing on maternity, pediatric, trauma, and tuberculosis care, with women comprising 45% of its nurses and over half of its workforce in maternity projects.