A number of female beauticians in Afghanistan report facing severe economic hardship following the closure of beauty salons by the Taliban.
These women say the Taliban’s decision to shut down the salons has cut off their source of income, leaving many of them without food for days.
Afghan citizens have also expressed concern that the Taliban’s work bans are severely impacting women who are the sole breadwinners for their families.
As the one-year anniversary of the salon closures approaches, several beauticians have voiced their distress, stating that the Taliban have taken away their livelihoods.
Fariba Ahmad, who used to work in a Kabul salon, earned 15,000 Afghanis a month. Now, she is unemployed.
“I am responsible for nine family members, and since the Taliban closed the salons, we have been suffering from poverty,” she said.
“It is clear that our economic situation is dire because I am unemployed. We can’t work, our economic situation is terrible, and my mental health is also suffering,” Ahmad added.
The closure of salons in early July last year left thousands of women across Afghanistan jobless, stripping away a crucial source of income for many.
“With the salons closed, we have no source of income. We urge that the salons be reopened so we can support ourselves,” said another unemployed beautician.
Women who have lost their jobs are calling on the international community to prioritize women’s rights, particularly the right to work and education, in discussions at the Doha summit.
In early July, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice issued an order to close all beauty salons.
According to Human Rights Watch, this decision has left 60,000 women jobless.
