When Silence Means Yes: Taliban Law Traps Child Brides In Marriages They Never Chose

When Silence Means Yes: Taliban Law Traps Child Brides In Marriages They Never Chose

The Taliban has issued a new law on divorce that explicitly acknowledges child marriage is permitted in Afghanistan. Two former child brides told RFE/RL that the law formalizes a reality many Afghan girls are already living: forced marriage, delayed justice, and silence treated as agreement.

UN Women: Taliban Regulation on Spousal Separation Risks Normalizing Child Marriage – KabulNow

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - UN Women says that the “Regulation on Separation of Spouses,” recently published by the Taliban, implicitly permits child marriage and risks normalizing the practice. Susan Ferguson, the representative of UN Women in Afghanistan, said in a statement released yesterday (Tuesday, May 26) that the regulation does not set a minimum age for marriage. Instead, it explains how child marriages can be annulled and how a child forced …

UN Women warns Taliban decree could normalize child marriage

UN Women has warned that a recently issued Taliban decree could further undermine the rights and safety of women and girls in Afghanistan, raising concerns that it may normalize child marriage and make it more difficult for women to leave unwanted marriages. In a statement, Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s special representative in Afghanistan, said Decree No. 18, published by the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice on May 14, represents “another serious de…