Afghan women Protest against the forced closures of beauty salon
Around 50 women participated in the protest on Wednesday, according to AFP news agency. Their voices rose, calling out – work, bread, and justice while gathered in the capital city, Kabul.
Since the Taliban rulers returned to power in August 2021, Afghan women’s rights have been increasingly restricted. Restrictions have been placed on Afghan women having access to classrooms, gyms, funfairs, and parks. More recently, the Taliban also banned them from working for the United Nations.
According to the ministry, weaving, wigs, or eyebrow-plucking were against Islamic values, and parents wasted money on beauty parlors when couples married. It said it made the order because extravagant sums spent on makeovers caused hardships for poor homes. They added that too much hindered women from proper ablutions for prayer.
According to the Afghan Chamber of Commerce, the closure of all beauty salons will lead to the loss of 60,000 jobs.
A salon worker whose name was not published for security reasons said they arranged the protest to talk and negotiate, however, no one came to talk to them or to listen to them. No attention was paid to them, instead, after a while, they were dispersed by aerial firing and water cannon.
