The most extreme example of women’s travel restrictions exists in Afghanistan, where the Taliban announced a law on the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice that prohibits women from traveling or using public transportation without a male guardian. There are no official laws about male guardianship in Afghanistan, but the Taliban have said women cannot move around or travel a certain distance without a man who is related to her by blood or marriage. This reality makes Afghanistan unlike anywhere else on Earth.
Women who are unmarried or do not have a mahram face even tougher restrictions and have been cut off from access to health care, banned from traveling long distances, and pressured to quit their jobs. Single and unaccompanied women, including an estimated 2 million widows, say they are essentially prisoners in their homes and unable to carry out even the most basic of tasks.
Afghanistan: Where Movement Means Male Permission
Women are expected to be escorted by a male relative and can be detained for traveling alone. It’s hard to imagine the psychological weight of being trapped in your own country, unable to access healthcare or employment without a husband, father, or brother by your side. In December 2021, the Taliban banned women from travelling on long-distance road trips without a mahram.
The deterioration since August 2021 has been systematic. The law requires women and girls to cover their entire bodies and faces everywhere outside their homes, and forbids their speaking in public, using public transportation alone, or even looking at men to whom they are not related by blood or marriage. Even leaving home to buy bread becomes an ordeal requiring male approval.
Iran: Married Women Need Husband’s Written Consent
A married woman requires her husband’s written consent to secure a passport or travel abroad. Single women over 18 could obtain a passport without permission; however, they still require their guardian’s consent to travel abroad. The distinction matters less than you might think because both situations trap women in dependence on men.
In Iran, married women must show their husband’s permission to obtain a passport and to travel. I think the cruelty of this system reveals itself most clearly when women discover at airports that their husbands have revoked travel permission as punishment during disputes. According to Iranian marriage laws, women are not allowed to petition for a divorce, and they can only travel with their husbands’ permission.
The law imposes flogging, exorbitant fines, harsh prison sentences, travel bans, and restrictions on education and employment for women and girls who defy compulsory veiling laws. December 2024 saw these restrictions tighten even further, making Iran one of the most oppressive environments for women globally.
Yemen: A Country Divided by Restrictions
Yemen requires, as a matter of policy, but not law, that women of all ages need to show permission from their male guardian in order to obtain a passport. In areas under Houthi control in Yemen, authorities have increasingly required women to travel with a mahram or to provide evidence of their male guardians’ written approval.
Let’s be real, the situation in Yemen is particularly complicated because different authorities control different regions, yet they all agree on restricting women. Parties to the conflict in Yemen, including the Houthis, the Yemeni government, and the Southern Transitional Council, are systematically violating women’s right to freedom of movement by barring women from traveling between governorates and, in some cases, from traveling abroad without a male guardian’s permission or being accompanied by an immediate male relative.
Such rules have forced many female Yemeni staff at nongovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies to leave their jobs, losing much-needed income for their families. The humanitarian implications are staggering when the very women trying to deliver aid cannot travel to do their work.
Saudi Arabia: Recent Reforms With Persistent Gaps
Saudi authorities announced changes to regulations that now allow women over 21 to travel abroad freely and obtain passports without permission from their male guardian. This happened in August 2019, representing a major shift for the Kingdom. Still, the reforms remain incomplete.
Females and minors may require a male guardian’s permission to leave the country, including U.S. citizens or dual nationals. Married women, including non-Saudis, require their husband’s permission to depart the country, while unmarried women and children require the permission of their father or male guardian. The law changed for some women but not all, creating confusing situations where citizenship and marital status determine freedom.
However, the new regulations do not positively affirm the right to travel abroad, leaving open the possibility that male guardians could seek a court order to restrict female relatives’ travel. Loopholes like this undermine the progress made through legal reforms.
Kuwait: Policy Versus Practice
In Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, and Yemen, there are the most stringent regulations, and sometimes even obtaining a passport or a permit to travel abroad depends on a male guardian or a court. Kuwait maintains restrictions through both official policies and informal practices that limit women’s autonomy.
Some state universities, including those in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, require women to show they have a male guardian’s permission before they can go on field trips or stay at or leave campus accommodations or grounds. Even education becomes contingent on male approval.
Women can be arrested, detained, or forced to return home if male guardians in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia report that they are absent from their homes. The threat of detention looms over every decision women make about movement.
The Human Cost Beyond Borders
In May 2023, Libya’s Internal Security Agency began requiring Libyan women traveling without a male escort to complete a form declaring reasons for traveling and why they are traveling solo, and giving details of past travels. Even in countries where such restrictions may not be official policy, in practice, some women reported that officials insisted on guardian permission, such as in Iraq.
The ripple effects extend far beyond inconvenience. These restrictions trap women in abusive marriages, prevent them from accepting educational opportunities abroad, block them from visiting dying relatives, and force them into economic dependence. Honestly, they also send a message about women’s fundamental worth and capacity that damages entire societies.
Hotels in countries like Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, and Yemen either because of state policy or in practice prevent some women from renting a hotel room without a male guardian. Even domestic travel becomes nearly impossible without male permission or presence.
These restrictions violate international human rights standards and demonstrate how gender-based oppression persists through legal systems designed to maintain male control. Women in these countries continue to resist, advocate, and push for change despite tremendous personal risk. Their courage deserves recognition and international support. What does freedom of movement mean if roughly half the population cannot exercise it?
