Women’s Tailoring Shops Halted in Kandahar; Restrictions Reduce Job Opportunities

News Report – Morsal Rahmani
Kabul Times News

Local sources in Kandahar province reported in September 2025 that the Taliban have halted the operations of tailors who sew women’s clothing—a move that, according to these sources, has left a number of individuals facing unemployment and economic hardship.

In a report dated September 22, 2025, the newspaper *8am* (8Sobh) stated that inspectors from the Taliban’s "Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" shut down tailoring shops that produced women’s garments. According to the report, approximately 10 tailors were detained in the week leading up to the news, though they were later released upon providing a guarantee.

The news network *Amu* also reported around the same time, citing local sources, that several tailors had been detained in the Rangrazan, Dana, and Aino Mina areas of Kandahar city. According to the outlet’s sources, this action has deprived a number of people of their livelihoods. At the time, the Taliban had not provided any public explanation regarding these detentions.

Economic Consequences for Women and Families

Restrictions on tailoring operations are likely to diminish employment opportunities and make it more difficult for families to access garment-sewing services. Tailoring is a trade through which many Afghan women earn an income, and some businesses in this sector also create job opportunities for others.

According to a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published on May 12, 2025, the female employment rate in Afghanistan stood at approximately seven percent in 2024. The organization further reported that 80 percent of women-led businesses consider the income generated from their economic activities to be their primary source of earnings.

These statistics pertain to the general state of women’s employment and business activities; they are not specific to tailoring businesses.

**Lack of Comprehensive Data from Other Provinces**

Although media reports have indicated that a number of women-run tailoring businesses in Kandahar have ceased operations, the aforementioned sources do not provide comprehensive or independent data regarding the number of such businesses that have closed across Afghanistan—or in other provinces where these restrictions have been enforced.

To fully understand the scope of this issue, it is necessary to gather further information from tailors, female business owners, and local sources in various provinces—particularly to determine the number of individuals affected and the economic consequences of these restrictions for their families.

Kabul Times News