The Taliban have announced a new directive ordering the identification and closure of all clandestine women’s beauty salons across Afghanistan. Female operators of these salons have been given a one-month deadline to cease operations, or they will face arrest and detention.
According to a report by The Guardian on Saturday, 8 September, this move comes after the Taliban officially banned all women’s beauty salons in August 2023, resulting in the shutdown of approximately 12,000 businesses and the loss of jobs for over 50,000 female beauticians.
Despite the ban, many salons continued operating secretly as a means of survival for families deprived of income under Taliban restrictions. Now, local Taliban authorities have been instructed to track down and report these secret salons, escalating the risks for women who defy the decree.
This latest measure further tightens the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on Afghan women, who are already banned from parks, gyms, public spaces, traveling without a male guardian, and participating in society freely.
