Afghan women protested the recent Taliban mandate that ordered the closure of beauty salons. On Wednesday, security personnel fired shots into the air and used water cannons to scatter the group.
This recent rule is yet another tactic to marginalize women from the public sphere. The Taliban regime has imposed numerous restrictions on women and girls since their takeover in August 2021.
They have prevented women from attending high schools and universities, prohibited their presence in parks, amusement parks, and gyms, and enforced stringent public dress codes.
Last month’s directive mandates the shutdown of thousands of women-operated beauty parlors. This deprives many families of their primary income source and eliminates one of the dwindling opportunities for Afghan women to interact in a social context outside their homes.
