Taliban launch crackdown on Afghanistan’s secret beauty salons | Global development

Taliban published an order targeting underground beauty salons in Afghanistan and said that there was a month to stop or arrest women who employ them.

Officially, all beauty salons were closed by Taliban in August 2023 and more than 50,000 female beauticians closed 12,000 businesses with the loss of business. Nevertheless, hidden halls continued to operate in communities throughout the country.

Now the Taliban said that they plan to root and eliminate these underground affairs, that they should define hidden beauty salons to the community leaders and elderly people throughout the country and that they should inform them to the “assistant and virtue” police.

Festha, a 38 -year -old mother of three young children, secretly operated the beauty salon work because they were banned in 2023, because there was no other way to work and make money.

“When the Taliban closed our halls, my only bread winner in my family was sick, my husband was sick and I had three children I had to cover the expenses,” he said.

“But I also continued to work because I feel very good when I could bring beauty back to a woman. When a woman looked in the mirror and smiled, her happiness was my happiness.

“Now, I don’t think I can continue because the risk is too high [but] I don’t know another job. Our situation is very bad, but there is no one to hear or support us in this world. ”

Since the Taliban seized the control of Afghanistan in August 2021, most women have been banned from paid employment, and girls prevented them from going to secondary or university.

Human Rights groups say that the Taliban operates a gender apartheid system and prevents women from entering all kinds of public life.

In addition to closing beauty salons, gyms and other common areas, women should walk in public parks, travel without a male chaver, cover themselves completely when leaving the house and should not be allowed to talk to the public.