UN Expresses Grave Concern over New Taliban Decree that Includes Provision on Child Marriage
The 31-article code makes separation harder for women than men and includes provisions the UN says imply child marriage.
- On May 14, the Taliban instructed courts in Afghanistan that a 'virgin girl's' silence constitutes marital consent. The new decree, Principles of Separation Between Spouses, approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, removes fixed minimum marriage ages by linking eligibility to puberty.
- Laws that previously acted as deterrence against forced marriage, including Afghanistan's 1977 Civil Code and the 2009 Elimination of Violence Against Women law, criminalized marriage for girls below 15. The new legislation effectively dismantles these protections.
- Girls barred from education after sixth grade, typically age 12, face increased vulnerability. Horia Mosadiq, director of the Conflict Analysis Network, noted that under the new law, girls reaching puberty at nine or ten are considered marriageable.
- The United Nations Population Fund estimates 3,000 live with obstetric fistula, a condition caused by labor that a child's body cannot bear. Afghanistan's maternal mortality rate stands at 521 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the human rights situation for women has deteriorated into a severe crisis. Observer Akbar described the baseline as 'horrific,' noting the future for Afghan girls currently looks hopeless under these prevailing conditions.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Afghanistan: UN flags new law that allows child marriage for girls
The United Nations expressed “grave concern” on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan’s Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage, saying the code further entrenches discrimination against women and girls. The government rejected the accusations, saying the decree follows Islamic law and insisting the country has already banned the forced marriage of girls. Afghanistan’s justice ministry pu…
The Taliban published a new 31-article family law regulation in the Afghan official gazette in mid-May 2026. The document, approved by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, brings the most extensive formalization of family relations in Afghanistan under Taliban rule since 2021 — and at the same time opens the door to practices that are blatantly violent against girls and women. The regulation even explicitly recognizes child marriage. Ev…
A new decree by the Taliban leader makes divorce more difficult for women – and evaluates a girl's silence as consent to a forced marriage.
Associated Press News
UN expresses grave concern over new Taliban decree that includes provision on child marriage
The United Nations has criticized a new Afghan law on separation in marriage, saying it entrenches discrimination against women and girls.
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