The Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue of the Afghan Taliban government has ordered the closure of all beauty salons within a month, further limiting women’s presence in public space, writes Reuters.
Referring to the decision of the ministry, its representative Mohammad Sadiq Akif announced on Tuesday, the 4th of July, that the deadline for closing all beauty salons for women is one month.
Foreign governments and UN officials have condemned increasing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Last year, Taliban authorities closed a majority-girls high school, barred women from universities,
and prevented most Afghan women from working. Women are also no longer allowed in gyms, bathhouses, and parks.
At the end of 2001, after the fall of the Taliban, beauty salons opened one after another in Kabul and other Afghan cities. Many continued to work even when the Taliban returned two years ago.
Western governments and international organizations have warned that restricting women’s rights threatens any chance of the Taliban government becoming internationally recognized. Meanwhile, the Afghan authorities insist that they respect women’s rights – in accordance with Islamic religious requirements and Afghan traditions.
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