"All beauty salons operated by women in Kabul and other provinces should be banned immediately and follow our order," the Ministry of Vice and Virtue said in a text message on Tuesday, without providing more information. "Violators will face legal action," warns the state office quoted by Bloomberg.

The statement is part of the Taliban's efforts to remove women from prominent roles in government and society and force them to stay at home.

The United Nations has repeatedly condemned previous Taliban restrictions banning women from education beyond sixth grade, working in the government or private sector, visiting parks or using gyms. According to the UN, the restrictions have made it "almost impossible" for the international community to officially recognise the Taliban government.

The only legal occupation for women in Afghanistan remains working in hospitals as nurses and doctors. Chauvinist restrictions force women to work clandestinely at home as teachers and make-up artists.

"The Taliban don’t consider women as human beings but as a commodity to own and oppress," said Jamila Afghan, an Afghan women’s rights activist who fled Afghanistan and now lives in Turkey. The latest ban "will affect thousands of makeup artists and close hundreds of beauty shops nationwide," she added. 

Source: Bloomberg