Date: 05/12/1403

The Taliban's Ministry of Virtue and Prevention of Vice on Sunday, February 25, began door-to-door inspections in Sar-e Pol Province to confiscate women's cosmetics. The move comes as part of efforts to "implement Islamic law" desired by the Taliban. Since the Taliban banned the operation of hairdressers in public markets, some women have turned to continuing the profession of hairdressing in homes in order to earn a living. However, house-to-house inspections seem to have a purpose beyond the confiscation of makeup items and are an attempt to completely restrict women's activities. In addition to confiscating hairdressing equipment, the Taliban summoned the homeowners to security areas, Sar-e Pol residents said. In July 2023, the Taliban closed all women's hairdressers on the verbal order of the group's leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada. It is estimated that the order has caused the loss of about 60,000 women's jobs across Afghanistan. The Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has described some cosmetic services, such as eyebrow removal and hair extension, as "blatant violation of Sharia."

The door-to-door inspections conducted by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Sar-e Pol Province reflect the expansion of coercive moral policing into private homes. The confiscation of cosmetics and hairdressing equipment, coupled with the summoning of homeowners to security offices, intrudes into private life and functions as intimidation rather than regulation. These practices disproportionately target women and further restrict their ability to earn a livelihood following the nationwide ban on women’s hairdressers. The use of home inspections to enforce moral conformity illustrates the normalization of surveillance and gender-based control, undermining personal autonomy, privacy, freedom of movement, and women’s economic participation.