Taliban allegedly raid underground beauty parlours
2 min read
Afghan Witness
Feature image: Afghan Witness.
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On 23 February 2025, Afghanistan International published a report along with a video claiming that officials from the Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) on the same day searched houses in Sar-e Pul province to confiscate women’s make-up items.
In the video, four PVPV officials in white uniforms can be seen inside the front yard of what appears to be private property, marching towards the exit. Two of the officials appear to be carrying white bags. A woman can be heard saying, “The house owner is not in”. One of the PVPV officers, whose face is covered, can be heard responding, “If he does not come, we will detain him”.
Afghanistan International also mentioned that according to local sources, besides the house searches, the Taliban also summoned the house owners for questioning by the police. AW could not verify if the incident was a raid on a beauty salon operating underground, but considers it likely given previous similar incidents documents in the past (see below).
Figure 1: Screenshot of a video shared by Afghanistan International showing PVPV police in white uniforms inside the front yard of what appears to be private property in Sar-e Pul province. Source: Afghanistan International)
AW has, however, recorded several reports since September 2023 indicating that PVPV officials have actively searched for underground beauty parlours in various parts of the country. On 12 October 2024, Zan TV reported that PVPV officials had raided a house and arrested a female hairdresser while she was doing the makeup of a bride in Ghazni province. Zan TV also reported that the Taliban were using women spies to identify underground beauty salons.
Similarly, in an earlier report by Afghanistan International on 11 September 2024, a beautician from Ghazni province claimed that the Taliban in the province were searching for beauticians in basements and their places, and that they could no longer provide their services, which have been underground since the Taliban closed down beauty salons across the country in July 2023. Speaking to AW in October 2024, sources on the ground who run a beauty salon in Kabul said the Taliban had raided their place several times, forcing them to relocate.
Moreover, in a report by Amu TV in August 2024, several beauticians based in Kabul claimed that Taliban police demanded monthly bribes from beauty salons to allow them to continue to operate underground. Sources on the ground confirmed the claims to AW and added that they also paid local district representatives and local Taliban administration regularly to be able to operate.
The Taliban closed down beauty salons across the country in July 2023, resulting in nearly 60,000 women losing their means of livelihood. Although the salons are officially closed, many continue to work underground, operating from the houses of salon owners or rented residential homes and apartments. According to AW interviews with workers in the beauty salon business, salons also provide services to customers at wedding halls and homes, provided the customers are trustworthy.
For further information, see AW’s investigation Finding alternatives: Entrepreneurship and resilience by Afghan women online.