The hidden hair trade under Taliban rule

Watch how Afghan women under Taliban rule secretly sell their hair to sustain their families in a trade for survival.

Transcript

00:00This is Fatima. She used to sell her hair freely in Afghanistan, earning just enough

00:05for food, books or medicine. But today, it's illegal. In 2023, the Taliban's Ministry for

00:10the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice outlawed the sale of human hair.

00:15Before the Taliban's takeover in 2021, many Afghan women supported their families by selling

00:20their hair for wigs and extensions in limited opportunities.

00:37But now the ministry enforced its ban with brutal crackdowns. Reports suggested women

00:42caught breaking these rules face beatings, arrests or worse.

00:47Nikki like Fatima defied Taliban restrictions. She ran a secret underground salon, offering

00:52more than just hair and makeup. She provided a space where women reclaimed a sense of normalcy

00:57by selling their hair here. For these women, selling hair wasn't just about money. It was

01:02about fighting to exist in a country that wanted them invisible.