Several female bakers in Kabul say the Taliban have recently shut down their bakeries without prior warning and prevented them from continuing their work. They add that the Taliban halted their operations under accusations of employing male co-workers, failure of some customers to observe hijab, and visits by men. These women emphasize that they had established their bakeries through loans and by overcoming numerous challenges, but now they have lost this source of income and are grappling with severe economic hardship.
Some of these women have described the closure of their bakeries, at a time when poverty and unemployment are rampant across the country, as “unjust” and have called on the Taliban to reconsider their decision. They believe that if the situation continues, their families’ livelihoods—and even their lives—will face serious threats.
Nazgol and Ilyas (pseudonyms), a couple, had installed a tandoor oven in a corner of their courtyard ten years ago and supported their five-member family by baking bread for their neighbors. According to them, the Taliban have made life increasingly difficult for the people by imposing such restrictions.
Ilyas, who lost one of his legs during construction work, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “The Taliban entered our bakery without asking any questions and said we’re no longer allowed to work. Some people who were present at the time were frightened. Now they’re watching us—if we work, what happens? If we don’t, what happens?”
Nazgol, his wife, tearfully adds that she cannot manage the work on her own. “Oh, Talib! We were working here with dignity—why did you shut down our bakery? I have five children, all very young. What should I do? Whose help should I seek for a bite of bread? We were already barely surviving here.”
Just a few steps from Nazgol and Ilyas’s house, Fatima and her son Mohammad also ran a small bakery, which was their only source of income, but it too has now been closed. They say the closure feels like all doors to life have been shut on them, leaving them in a desperate situation.
Fatima, the head of an eight-member household, says, “My son just turned 15. I brought him with me to work so I could keep him in sight and he could lend me a hand. Now, just because he’s started to grow a mustache, the Taliban won’t let us work. As the old saying goes, ‘All the misfortunes fall on the lame.’”
Mohammad believes the Taliban are using such restrictions as an excuse to limit women’s roles. He says, “I was beside my mother because she was alone. We baked bread for about 300 families; it covered our household expenses and my school costs. Now, even this bakery is shut down. I’m deeply heartbroken.”
Several residents have also expressed concern over the closure of the women-run bakeries. They say they cannot afford bread from larger bakeries and emphasize that these local bakeries were economical, accessible, and suitable for them.
Sima, a long-time customer of these bakeries, insists on their immediate reopening. “I don’t understand what the Taliban have against bakeries. For God’s sake, they’ve made life so hard. I used to come here peacefully, bring my dough, they would bake my bread, and I’d take it home for my kids. What should I do now? My husband is unemployed, and gas prices have skyrocketed.”
Saboor, another customer, believes the closures are harming the public. He says, “People are in terrible economic conditions and can’t afford 10-Afghani bread. Gas prices are high too, and the closure of women-run bakeries has really hurt people.”
Essa, another customer, says he is a government employee [under the Taliban regime] and hasn’t received his salary for two months. He stresses that the closure of these bakeries has taken bread off his table. “By God, what they did wasn’t right. We poor people used to get bread on credit and pay later when our salaries came in. Now I’m left to plead to God—we haven’t been paid for two months.”
Bibi Gul, who arrived today with a bowl of dough, unaware that the bakeries had been shut down, strongly criticizes the Taliban’s actions. She says closing the bakeries has created numerous problems and challenges for people. “These bakeries were all we had left—and now the Taliban shut them down. We’re going to suffer a lot. This place was good for us.”
In many cities across Afghanistan, women run small bakeries where locals bring their dough to be baked. In return, the women earn between five to seven Afghanis per piece of bread.
This move comes as, according to OCHA, nearly 30 women-led organizations in Afghanistan have already ceased operations due to budget cuts.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan will be dire in the coming year. The agency reported that around three million people will need emergency food assistance during the upcoming summer. Still, due to a funding shortfall, it will only be able to help one million of them avoid starvation.
Over the past nearly four years, the Taliban have sidelined women from all aspects of social life. Girls above the sixth grade and women are barred from attending schools and universities. Additionally, under Taliban orders, women are forbidden from traveling, recreation, sports, participation in politics and power, or being present in public life.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
از گرمی تنور تا شعله نفرت طالبان؛ زنان نانوا در کابل بیکار شدند
