Key facts
- New Taliban laws appear to legally recognize child marriage for the first time in Afghanistan.
- The legislation makes it extremely difficult for girls and young women to obtain a divorce.
- Activists and the UN have condemned the laws as a further erosion of women's and girls' rights.
- An estimated 70% of girls barred from education have been pushed into early or forced marriage.
- Child marriages have increased by approximately 25 percent since the Taliban takeover.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has introduced new laws that activists and UN officials warn legally recognize child marriage for the first time, significantly curtailing the rights of girls and young women. These laws make it nearly impossible for women to seek divorce against their husbands' wishes, effectively entrenching systemic discrimination and denying them autonomy and access to justice.
Activists describe the move as an attempt to institutionalize child marriage within the formal legal structure, following years of eroding freedoms for Afghan girls and women, including bans on education and work. One activist, Fatima, stated that the Taliban is issuing "shameful misogynistic decrees" instead of ensuring security and justice.
While official statistics on forced and underage marriages are unavailable, activists report an alarming rise, with an informal estimate suggesting that around 70% of girls barred from education have been pushed into early or forced marriages, and 66% of these involve girls under 18. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed deep concern, with Georgette Gagnon of UNAMA noting the legislation is part of a broader trajectory of eroding rights.
A Taliban government spokesman dismissed the criticism, attributing protests to those hostile to Islam and the Islamic system. Research from the Afghanistan Human Rights Center indicates that victims of child marriage frequently report domestic violence and severe psychological distress. One tragic case involved a 15-year-old girl who died from domestic violence after being married at 14, with local elders intervening to keep her in the marriage.
UN Women reports that child marriages have increased by approximately 25% since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021. The ban on teenage girls attending school, which recently marked 1,000 days, is seen as a significant contributing factor to this surge, dashing dreams of education and forcing families facing economic ruin to marry off their daughters. For some, marrying off adolescent daughters is also a way to avoid forced marriages to Taliban fighters.