From the Taliban's Lock on Hairdressers' Scissors; to Women Taking Refuge in Strangers' Homes

Photo: ATIF ARYAN | AFP via Getty Images

Women Hairdressers: The Taliban Even Envied the Bread on Our Table

Thousands of women and girls who earned a living through hairdressing during the twenty years of the Republic system say they are now facing a chaotic economic and psychological situation.

These women hairdressers say that Mullah Hibatullah (the absent leader of the Taliban) has not only emptied their tables of bread by issuing the decree to ban women's hairdressing activities in Afghanistan, but has also forced many of them to leave the country.

Salma Faizi, who had a beauty salon in a corner of Pul-e-Surkh in Kabul, says that six months after the issuance of the Taliban leader's decree, she was forced to seek refuge in Iran to support her five orphaned children. "The Taliban even envied the bread on our table because I was a woman and earned my living this way for my children. When my salon was shut down, I sold the items I had at home for six months and used the money to support my life and my children. I couldn't survive any longer, so I had to come to Iran. But right now, the situation here is worse than in Afghanistan."

Bahnaz, another woman hairdresser who is now working in a clothing production workshop in Kerman, Iran, shares the reason for her migration in an interview with Zan TV: "My husband couldn't work because he had lost one of his legs in an accident. We were seven people at home. I didn't become a hairdresser out of happiness. When I saw my children hungry, I entered this profession and learned it. But the Taliban didn't let us earn a living from this way. I was forced to seek refuge with the Iranians. Here, I work for 50,000 Tomans a day, but it's not enough to sustain life."

On the other hand, these women hairdressers who are in Iran say that due to economic difficulties and the lack of employment opportunities in that country, they have developed mental health issues.

Feroozah, who used to work as a hairdresser in Herat, says: "Right now, our living situation is very bad. My husband was addicted, and I became both the father and mother for my children. But the Taliban took our profession away, and they also took our home. In Iran, there's no work for me. I’m so stressed that I've become mentally ill. I can’t sleep at night, and I suffer from headaches."

Meanwhile, some women's rights and human rights activists, concerned about the situation of women hairdressers, are urging the Taliban to lift their restrictions and provide women with opportunities for work and employment again.

Adila Jafari, a women's rights activist, says: "These women did not become hairdressers out of happiness; rather, the hungry stomachs of their families forced them to find a way to earn bread. Most of them are widows, orphaned daughters, or women whose husbands are sick or disabled. But the Taliban have wronged them. Our demand is that they allow women to work and engage in activities again so that their problems can be resolved."

Women hairdressers, who lost their profession following the Taliban leader's decree on the 25 July, 2023, speak of their economic instability and mental health issues. According to information provided by the Women's Hairdressers Union in Kabul, more than 60,000 women and girls were working as hairdressers in Afghanistan. However, with the issuance of the ban on hairdressing activities, many of these women have migrated to neighboring countries in search of income and to support their families.