Taliban Enact 31-Page Family Law, Defining Virgin Girl's Silence as Marriage Consent
Updated
Updated · balkanweb.com · May 16
Taliban Enact 31-Page Family Law, Defining Virgin Girl's Silence as Marriage Consent
4 articles · Updated · balkanweb.com · May 16
A new 31-page Taliban regulation on marriage, divorce and family relations formalizes rules on child marriage, custody and "virginity," widening scrutiny of Afghanistan's treatment of women and girls.
The text lets annulment of a childhood marriage after puberty proceed only through court decisions, while parents and guardians can still play decisive roles unless abuse or incapacity is proven.
One provision treats a virgin girl's silence as consent to marriage, and the regulation also gives courts broad powers over disputes involving absent spouses, apostasy and adultery claims.
Human rights groups say the rules deepen restrictions imposed since the Taliban's August 2021 return to power, adding to criticism that earlier domestic-violence code changes left women with weak protection and harder abuse reporting.
How can Afghan women find justice when the law now criminalizes their escape from domestic abuse?
Is the Taliban's new legal framework a return to tradition or a modern system for absolute control?