to their God as "Islam prohibits women from praying without a bath after their periods". In June 1998, the Taliban banned women from attending general hospitals in the capital, whereas before they had been able to attend a women-only ward of general hospitals. This left only one hospital in Kabul at which they could seek treatment. After the Taliban takeover, female healthcare workers reported safety issues and being harassed by the Taliban. Maternal health care conditions declined and many doctors reported that infant and child mortality had increased. In February 2023, the Taliban ordered pharmacies to clear their stocks of birth control medicine. Forced confinement Family harmony was badly affected by mental stress, isolation and depression that often accompanied the forced confinement of women. A 1998 survey of 160 women residents or former residents of Kabul found that 97 per cent showed signs of serious depression and 71 per cent reported a decline in their physical well-being. Latifa, a Kabul resident and author, wrote: The apartment resembles a prison or a hospital. Silence weighs heavily on all of us. As none of us do much, we haven't got much to tell each other. Incapable of sharing our emotions, we each enclose ourselves in our own fear and distress. Since everyone is in the same black pit, there isn't much point in repeating time and again that we can't see clearly. The Taliban closed the country's beauty salons. Nail varnish and cosmetics were prohibited. Taliban restrictions on the cultural presence of women covered several areas. Place names including the word "women" were modified so that the word was not used. Women were forbidden to laugh loudly as it was considered improper for a stranger to hear a woman's voice. Women were prohibited from participating in sports or entering a sports club. Slavery of women In 2017, Taliban members were accused of sanctioning forced marriages, marital rape, and slavery of women. Punishments Punishments were often carried out publicly, either as formal spectacles held in sports stadiums or town squares or spontaneous street beatings. Civilians lived in fear of harsh penalties as there was little mercy; women caught breaking decrees were often treated with extreme violence. Examples include: In October 1996, a woman had the tip of her thumb cut off for wearing nail varnish. In December 1996, Radio Shari'a announced that 225 Kabul women had been seized and punished for violating the