July 25 was the deadline given by the Ministry of Vice and Virtue of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) for women’s beauty parlors before many of them are closed.

The United Nations said that the forced closure of women's beauty salons could negatively impact the economy of women.

TOLOnews says Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the Secretary-General, at a press briefing asked the Islamic Emirate to halt the edict closing beauty salons.

“The Secretary-General supports the efforts by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has called on the de facto authorities to halt the edict closing beauty salons. UNAMA has said that this restriction on women's rights will impact negatively on the economy and contradicts support for women's entrepreneurship, and we're seeking a reversal of the bans,” Farhan Haq said.

Beauty parlor owners said that with the closing of their salons, they can no longer be breadwinners for their families.

Recall, the Taliban sent out a text message in early July to beauty salon owners across Afghanistan, stating that they had one month to close shop. 

Meanwhile, salons are one of the few remaining public spaces where women can safely socialize, and a source of income for women to support, not only themselves, but often their families.

Tens of thousands of parlor employees have reportedly been pushed from one of the last remaining areas of work open to women under the Taliban government.

Previously, the Union of Women's Beauty Salons said that with the implementation of this decision, over 12,000 women's salons would close, and more than 50,000 employees would lose their jobs.