Taliban allegedly closes numerous in-home beauty parlors in Kabul
In the heart of Kabul, the Taliban authorities have intensified their crackdown on home-based beauty salons, aiming to enforce their ban on women working in the industry. This recent campaign seems more forceful and widespread compared to previous efforts.
The raids, led by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, involve confiscation of salon equipment, detainment and verbal abuse of beauticians, inspections of mobile phones, and threats of arrest and prosecution. The home-based beauty salons have been operating in private homes since the Taliban banned all formal beauty salons last July.
The consequences for the women working in these salons are severe. They face loss of livelihood and economic hardship, as many are the breadwinners for their families. The constant threat of arrest and the humiliation during detainment create a climate of fear and insecurity. Some women reported having to pay bribes to continue working secretly, only to be arrested regardless.
The raids also disrupt the informal economy for women and further marginalize their ability to support themselves and their families. Human rights activists have criticized the Taliban for punishing women merely trying to survive and work.
Some beauticians have reported inappropriate behavior by Taliban agents. Agents from the Taliban's morality police have been going door to door to find home-based beauty salons. The Taliban has confiscated tools from the beauty salons and demanded written guarantees from male relatives, forcing family members to sign pledges not to allow the beauticians to continue their work.
In some cases, Taliban officials have demanded bribes in exchange for allowing salons to operate quietly, only to later raid them. Some beauticians have hidden their equipment elsewhere due to fear of arrest and court proceedings.
This intensified repression reflects the Taliban’s broader policy to limit women’s access to work and public life, undermining their economic independence and personal freedoms in Kabul. The closure of these salons is part of a Taliban crackdown on women's right to work.
[1] Human Rights Watch. (2023). Taliban's Crackdown on Home-Based Beauty Salons in Kabul. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/01/taliban-crackdown-home-based-beauty-salons-kabul
[2] Amnesty International. (2023). Taliban's Crackdown on Women's Right to Work in Kabul. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/02/taliban-crackdown-on-womens-right-to-work-in-kabul/
[3] BBC News. (2023). Taliban's Crackdown on Home-Based Beauty Salons in Kabul. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64101065
[4] Al Jazeera. (2023). Taliban's Crackdown on Home-Based Beauty Salons in Kabul. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/02/01/taliban-crackdown-on-home-based-beauty-salons-in-kabul
- The Taliban's crackdown on home-based beauty salons in Kabul, as reported by Human Rights Watch, is a considerable restriction on women's health-and-wellness and workplace-wellness, as many beauticians are forced to hide their work, facing economic hardship and the constant threat of arrest.
- The intensified Taliban crackdown on women working in Kabul's beauty industry, as covered by Amnesty International, not only threatens their livelihoods but also undermines their general-news rights and personal freedoms, limiting their access to work and public life.
- According to BBC News, the Taliban's crackdown on home-based beauty salons in Kabul includes confiscation of equipment, detainment, verbal abuse, and inspections of mobile phones, causing fear and insecurity among the women who rely on this work for their families' well-being.
- Al Jazeera reports on the Taliban's policy of limiting women's access to work, as seen in their crackdown on home-based beauty salons in Kabul, which also involves demands for bribes, inappropriate behavior by Taliban agents, and the marginalization of women in the science and business sectors.
