discrimination
Taliban close beauty salons
A beauty salon employee paints over a large photo
© -/Kyodo/dpa
Women in Afghanistan hardly have the opportunity to earn money themselves. Beauty salons were among the few places where this was possible. They are now being closed on instructions from the Taliban.
In Afghanistan it’s that of the militant Islamist Taliban-ordered beauty salon closures come into effect. “They closed our shops and asked us to go home,” a beautician in Kabul told the German Press Agency.
Another resident of the capital also reported to the dpa that militant Islamists had checked the salons.
At the beginning of the month, the Taliban announced the new regulation by decree. Because of their high prices, beauty salons put families in financial difficulties at wedding celebrations, the rulers said. The operators also did not comply with the existing requirements. Last week, dozens of women took to the streets of Kabul to protest the decision. According to statements by participants, the demonstration was violently broken up, and some women are said to have been taken away.
Around 60,000 women are affected
With the closure of beauty salons, Afghan women have lost one of the few remaining opportunities to earn money. “It’s not about getting your hair and nails done,” said Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch. “It’s about 60,000 women losing their jobs.” A beautician told the German Press Agency that she opened her beauty salon shortly after the Taliban took power. She was happy with her business, now she has to close it.
When the Taliban took power in August 2021, the Islamist Taliban promised to govern more moderately. Recently, their rule has become more authoritarian and dogmatic. In the meantime, women have been pushed out of most of the professions. They are also no longer allowed to attend universities and higher schools.