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KABUL – The Taliban forcefully disbanded a peaceful protest led by around 30 women outside beauty parlors in Kabul on Wednesday. The demonstration was in response to a recent nationwide ban on beauty salons, leaving many female owners and workers in distress.
Witnesses reported that the security forces used fire hoses and fired shots into the air to break up the gathering. Additionally, protesters accused the authorities of resorting to violence, including beating them with batons and confiscating their mobile phones to prevent documentation of the incident.
The ban on beauty salons, imposed by the Taliban, has sparked multiple rallies in Kabul and across Afghanistan. The women are appealing to the authorities to reverse the decree, which they argue will result in thousands of women-led households facing economic hardship.
The Taliban claimed the ban was necessary, alleging that the salons offered services contrary to Islamic teachings and caused financial strain for families during wedding celebrations.
This latest restriction is part of a series of measures that have been detrimental to Afghan women’s rights, limiting their access to public life and education under the fundamentalist Taliban government.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed its concern over the forceful suppression of the peaceful protest, asserting that Afghans have the right to express their views without violence. UNAMA urged the de facto authorities to uphold this fundamental right.
The women involved in the protest refute the allegations made by the Taliban, asserting that beauty salons strictly adhere to personal hygiene and cosmetic services and do not engage in any un-Islamic practices. Their calls for a reversal of the ban highlight the importance of preserving livelihoods and promoting justice and education for women in Afghanistan.
