The ministry of vice and virtue sent a text message on Tuesday saying, "All beauty salons operated by women in Kabul and other provinces should be banned immediately and follow our order." They also said that they had one month from July 2 to comply with the order. Violators will confront lawful activity," cautioned Mohammad Sadeq Akif Muhajir, the service's representative.
Prior to forcing a prohibition on salons, the Taliban had banned young ladies from schools, rec centers, stops and pools. As of late, they had even prohibited ladies from working for the Unified Countries. The Taliban had previously imposed a strict dress code on women, restricted their movement, and prohibited them from traveling alone (mahram).
Despite protests by women and activists speaking out on their behalf, international condemnation, and restrictions, the restrictions have continued.
When the Taliban were in power from 1996 to 2001, they took a variety of actions, including closing beauty salons. However, following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, they reopened, and over the past two decades, hundreds of beauty parlors have opened in Kabul and other Afghan cities.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Afghanistan is the world's most restrictive nation when it comes to women's and girls' rights. HRW says that women were being fired from all leadership positions and needed to be accompanied by men when traveling in most Afghan provinces. Ladies likewise don't reserve the option to most business and are banished from working with worldwide NGOs (besides in medical care, sustenance, and essential training)," it expressed.
One Afghan woman told the BBC that the Taliban were denying Afghan women their most fundamental human rights in response to the new closure. The Taliban appear to have no political strategy aside from focusing on women's bodies. She stated, "They are attempting to eliminate women at every level of public life."
Kabul hasn't said why the ban was put in place or what, if any, options women would have after the salons closed.