First, the Taliban ordered female tailors not to interact with men. Now, they can’t touch men’s clothes.
This story first appeared in Zan Times
By Azada Azad
Masouma opened her tailoring workshop in the centre of Nili city just six years ago, investing 70,000 afghanis into the business. She had big dreams. However, Masouma says all of her efforts have been wasted since the Taliban takeover of the country. These days, she doesn’t go to her workshop very often because of the restrictions imposed on businesswomen in Daikundi.
The latest is a crippling economic blow to businesswomen such as Masouma: women tailors are no longer permitted to handle men’s clothing. “The other day, the Taliban soldiers came to my tailoring workshop and said that women tailors are not allowed to touch men’s clothes because they get sensational and it is a sin,” she tells Zan Times.
Almost three weeks ago, a group of Daikundi businesswomen and craftswomen told Zan Times that the Taliban’s Directorate for Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ordered them not to interact with male customers or employers. “The Taliban has ordered that seamstresses are not allowed to sew men’s clothes, nor are they allowed to even look at men,” one of the craftswomen told Zan Times. The Taliban also warned them that their businesses would be closed if they did not obey the rules.
Laila, a businesswoman who has worked in the bazaar of Nili city for more than a decade, says that life is increasingly hard. She says she started her business with 500 afghanis and had a successful business. “I trained 35 women on embroidery. My trainees produced all kinds of needlework, embroidery, and handicrafts, and I sold their products in my shop,” she tells Zan Times.
In all, Laila says that she had invested a total of 250,000 afghanis in her business over the years. She says the women of Daikundi had innovated to improve their businesses, including launching a Thursday Bazaar. “Before the Taliban takeover, my colleagues and I were financially independent, but now, business is down and we do not have a good economy,” she says.
It seems to the women business owners that there is no space for them in Nili city. The constant introduction of new restrictions has forced many to give up on their businesses. The head of Daikundi Businesswomen Association tells Zan Times that prior to Taliban takeover there were 48 businesswomen in the association. Now, just nine are active.
One of those businesswomen who is no longer active is Nazia. She set up a cosmetics and hygiene shop four years ago. “The Taliban’s presence creates fear among the people, which causes less sales in the market,” she tells Zan Times. Last month, she closed her business. “I had to sell my shop and the asset in it for a very low price. I had started my business with 50,000 afghanis and before Taliban came to power, my business was worth 500,000 afghanis.”
The challenges facing Daikundi’s businesswomen aren’t only economic. “In several instances, the Taliban soldiers have arrested my apprentices and humiliated, insulted, and cursed us,” explains Masouma. “In their last attempt to harm us, they have torn off my workshop’s tableau.”
Although the Taliban has not officially banned women’s businesses, the restrictions that they have imposed, such as a ban on trading with male customers or employers, have effectively made it impossible for businesswomen to keep their shops open. And that is impacting the overall economy. Estimates show that imposing restrictions on women’s employment has damaged Afghanistan’s economy at least by US$1 billion.
Names have been changed to protect the identity of the interviewees.