Beauty Parlors Across The Country Ordered to Shutdown

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have issued a directive ordering all beauty parlours in the country to close down within a month, further restricting women's presence in public life. Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban government has implemented a series of oppressive measures against women, including banning them from high schools and universities, prohibiting their participation in recreational activities such as visiting parks and gyms, and enforcing strict dress codes.

The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, represented by spokesperson Mohammad Sadeq Akif Muhajir, did not provide a specific reason for the closure order but mentioned that the motive would be shared with the media after the parlours are shut down. The ministry has granted the establishments time to settle their affairs and use up their existing stock to minimize financial losses.

According to a copy of the order obtained by AFP, the decision was "based on verbal instruction from the supreme leader." Over the past two decades of US-led occupation, beauty parlours proliferated in Kabul and other Afghan cities, offering women a safe space to gather, socialize, and pursue business opportunities.

A report presented to the UN's Human Rights Council by Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur for Afghanistan, underscored the dire circumstances faced by women and girls in the country. Bennett described the situation as one of the worst in the world, characterized by grave, systematic, and institutionalized discrimination, leading to concerns of gender apartheid. Nada Al-Nashif, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasized that women's and girls' lives in Afghanistan had been extensively restricted, with discrimination pervading every aspect.

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who predominantly governs from Kandahar and rarely appears in public, asserted that the adoption of Islamic governance was rescuing women from traditional oppressions and restoring their status as free and dignified individuals. In a statement commemorating the Eid al-Adha holiday, Akhundzada claimed that measures had been taken to ensure women a comfortable and prosperous life in accordance with Islamic Sharia.

The closure of beauty parlours adds to the long list of restrictions imposed on Afghan women by the Taliban, leaving them increasingly marginalized and isolated from public life. These measures not only deny women their basic rights but also undermine their contributions to society and hinder their economic independence. The international community continues to express deep concern over the deteriorating situation and the widespread violation of women's rights in Afghanistan.