Provide us work or salary, beauty salons owners urge govt

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of female beauticians say they are struggling with economic problems after the closure of beauty parlors in Kabul and urge the caretaker government to provide them with work or a salary.

The Vice and Virtue and Complaints Ministry on June 26 gave one month to all salons in Afghanistan to wind down their businesses.

Today (Saturday) marked 18th day of the closure of beauty salons and some of the beauticians talked about economic hardships they face.

Sara, one of these women in Kart-i-Chahar area, said she was the breadwinner of her family of six people. She said now that she was unemployed due to the closure of her parlor, she was facing economic problems.

He added: “Hairdressing is an art that I started when I was a child, and I became rich with this art, and I would earn about five thousands afghanis daily, but now I have no work and my economic problems have increased, we are wondering what to do.”

She said eight other women who worked with her were currently suffering from economic problems. “Unemployment and poverty force poor women to beg on the streets.”

She urged the caretaker government to provide a dignified work environment for women, especially breadwinners of their families, while observing the Sharia hijab.

Sarah emphasized: “Since salons of women are closed, the government should provide these poor women with sewing workshops or handicraft institutes.”

Another woman, who did not want to be named, said ten women had been working in a beauty salon, but now all of them had no job.

She complained about economic problems and asked the caretaker government to provide them with a place to work.

Pajhwok tried but failed to elicit a response from the government about the problems being faced by female beauticians.

sa/ma