The Taliban has officially acknowledged child marriages with a set of distressing guidelines outlined in its new family regulations. This comes months after Afghanistan sanctioned domestic violence in a severe crackdown on women’s rights. The acceptance of minors marrying adult males has now been approved under a 31-page document titled ‘Principles of Separation Between Spouses’.
The document, disclosed by Afghan outlet Amu TV, elaborates on child unions and provides specific directives concerning ‘virgin girls’. It covers various aspects such as breastfeeding, forced separation, apostasy, adultery, and missing spouses.
According to the regulations, a young girl can marry an adult male but has the option to seek annulment upon reaching puberty with a court order. The marriage must be arranged by relatives other than the father or grandfather, ensuring social compatibility and an appropriate dowry.
The Taliban emphasizes that abusive, mentally unstable, or morally corrupt guardians could render these marriages invalid. Shockingly, the document suggests that a ‘virgin girl’s’ silence can be construed as consent to marriage.
There is no longer a specified minimum marriage age in Afghanistan, as the Taliban has rolled back the age limit of 16 established post the 2001 Western invasion. While the terrorist organization reprimanded a 45-year-old man for marrying a six-year-old girl, they ordered him to wait until the child turns nine before taking her home.
Statistics from Girls Not Brides reveal that 28.7% of Afghan girls marry before 18, with 9.6% marrying before 15. A United Nations report illustrates a 25% increase in child and forced marriages due to systematic oppression.
Under Taliban rule, a girl’s ‘marriageable age’ is determined by Islamic law, with puberty considered the threshold for readiness under Hanafi jurisprudence, disregarding the girl’s choice.
This prevalent issue in Afghanistan involves families resorting to selling their daughters to sustain themselves, as women are marginalized from public life and restricted from basic freedoms. This practice, known as ‘walwar’, has surged under Taliban rule, with girls traded for money based on physical appearance, health, and education.
Women in Afghanistan are constrained from public speaking and are required to wear full-body coverings, excluding them from social spaces where they could seek support. Gyms, female-only public baths, and beauty salons are off-limits to them.
