Balkh, Jan 10: Several women, who run shops at a market in the Balkh region of Afghanistan, have been directed by the Taliban's vice and virtue department to close their shops by next Thursday, media reports said.
The women said they were supporting their family with their small business. The women said the business they run is their only source of income.
Pashtun Afghan is one of the first women, who invested in a shop at the “City Walk” market in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province. “We are forced to collect our commodities; otherwise, they will be wasted. This will also affect our economy,” Yasamin, a shopkeeper, told the news portal. The latest announcement by the Taliban has been made just weeks after they prevented women from working in non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan, a decision that triggered global reactions.
Since August 15th, 2020, the Taliban has been curbing the liberties and freedom of women consistently and slowly. This recent dictate is in a series of dictates which have harmed women in Afghanistan.