Female beauticians in Kabul protest against Taliban ban

A group of beauticians took to the streets in downtown Kabul on Wednesday, to protest the Taliban’s ban on beauty salons, local media reported.

Videos shared online showed dozens of women carrying placards reading “food”, “justice,” and “work.”

In one video, a woman was seen confronting a Taliban security guard.

In another, a Taliban guard was trying to disperse the protesters with water cannon.

Gunfire could be heard in the background.

A protesting make-up artist estimated that around 200 women were present at the beginning of the protest in the Shar-e-Naw area.

“We want our right to work and the cancellation of the order,” she said.

“But the Taliban responded with water cannons and aerial firings and took away a few girls.”

The Taliban authorities had ordered Afghanistan’s hair and beauty salons to close by July 25, without providing clear justification.

The Taliban returned to power with the collapse of the former Afghan government amidst the chaotic withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The militants reimposed strict laws and regulations, including banning girls and women from accessing school classes beyond grade six.

Women could not travel long distances without a male chaperone and cannot work in most government offices.

Most recently, women were banned from working with international organisations, including the United Nations.

Inspite repeated calls by Afghans and the international community to lift the ban, Afghanistan’s new rulers who were desperate for international recognition refused to do so.