Taliban legitimising child marriage' with new edict, activists warn

Child marriage has been legally recognized for the first time by the Taliban in Afghanistan, with activists saying new divorce rules make it nearly impossible for girls and young women to seek divorce if husbands oppose it. Afghanistan lacks official statistics on forced and underage marriages, but activists report a sharp rise in recent years linked to the ban on girls’ education after age 11. Informal estimates suggest most girls affected by the education ban were pushed into early or forced marriage, with many involving girls under 18. Demonstrations in Kabul condemned the divorce law as systemic violence. UNAMA expressed concern that the legislation further erodes women and girls’ rights and entrenches discrimination.

"Child marriage appears to have been legally recognised for the first time by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as activists say shameful new laws make it almost impossible for girls and young women to seek divorce against their husbands' will. There are no official statistics on forced and underage marriages in Afghanistan, but activists say it has risen at an alarming rate in recent years, driven by the ban on girls being in education after the age of 11."

"One informal estimate suggested that since the Taliban had barred them from education about 70% had been pushed into early or forced marriage and that 66% of these marriages involved girls under the age of 18. There is no ban on child marriage in Afghanistan under the Taliban, but a new law on divorce approved last week appears to suggest that a girl who later says she was married against her will would not be permitted a divorce if her husband disagrees."

"The new law also appears to suggest that a woman cannot divorce her husband solely on the grounds of his absence or failure to provide financial support. There have been reported demonstrations against the new law in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, this week, with several women's rights movements condemning the law as a form of systemic violence against women and children."

"Georgette Gagnon of UNAMA said the new law was part of a broader and deeply concerni. The decree, which codifies principles governing the separation of spouses, represents another step in the erosion of Afghan women and girls' rights and further entrenches systemic discrimination in law and practice."

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