The closure of beauty salons and hairdressers ordered the government of Taliban with a deadline of one month, as reported by the Ministry of Ethics, further hindering her socialization of women in Afghanistan.

This measure comes as a related decree by the Taliban authorities comes into force, depriving women of one of their minimal sources of income and their only means of access to public spaces.

Since they returned to power in August 2021, the Taliban barred women from most girls’ high schools, universities and public services, banned them from entering parks, gardens, gyms and public baths, and required them to be fully covered when leaving their homes.

The decision, announced by decree at the end of June, to close thousands of beauty salons across the country, which are run by women, lacks of them, the only source of income for their families and one of the last places where they can meet freely, outside their homes.

“We used to come here and spend our time discussing our future. Now, even that right has been taken away from ussaid Bahara, a client at a Kabul institute.

“Women are not allowed to enter recreational areas, so what can we do? Where can we have fun? Where can we meet?” he added.

Banning beauty salons will result in them losing their income 60,000 women who work in 12,000 such businesses, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Women in Afghanistan.

Last week, security forces fired into the air and used water jets to disperse dozens of Afghan women demonstrating in Kabul against the decree.

The Ministry for Suppression of Corruption and the Promotion of Virtueconfirming the measure a few days after the decree was made public, clarified that beauty centers have one month, until today Tuesday, to close in order to be able to sell their stocks.

He had justified their closure by the fact that exorbitant sums are spent on beauty salons for weddings, which is believed to be too much burden for poor families and with the fact that some of the proposed treatments and services do not respect Islamic law.

Particularly heavy facial make-up prevents women from proper ritual washing before prayer, the ministry had explained, with false eyelashes and hair braids also prohibited.

A copy of the decree accessed by AFP said the decision was based on a “verbal order of the Supreme Leader” of Afghanistan Himbatullah Akhundzada.

Many beauty centers had opened in Kabul and major cities in Afghanistan during the 20 years of occupation by American forces and NATObefore the Taliban returned to power.