Afghan Women running stores in Balkh face decline in Sales

According to a report, female shopkeepers in the Afghan province of Balkh have expressed their concern over a decline in business sales. This comes after the Taliban's Balkh Department of Industry and Commerce claimed that steps are being taken to make it easier for female shopkeepers to have access to the markets. These women are employed by Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh which has the only women's market in the area.

The market is titled Khadija al Kubra and is situated in the provincial capital. When asked by a local shopkeeper named Khatira Halemi about the situation, she stated that the products and materials they sell are particularly for girls and are also discounted between 15 to 20 percent as compared to other markets.

According to the Afghan news agency, a journalist named Rohina urged women to support the female shopkeepers in the area by purchasing goods from these markets on the eve of Eid-al-Adha as they are selling some good quality goods. The women in the nation have been surviving a miserable life with no freedom since the Taliban took charge of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Women are prohibited from working in gyms, public places, or the fields of education with both domestic and foreign organizations. Taliban has removed several women's and girls’ human rights. Girls even cannot attend high schools and universities in this regime, and their freedom to move around and work is limited. Additionally, the landlocked nation is still suffering from economic and humanitarian crises.