The Taliban group, which controls power in Afghanistan, has adopted rules that allow marriages with minors, particularly with girls.
This was reported by the Afghan independent media outlet Amu TV, citing a provision entitled “Principles of Separate Living of Spouses,” approved by the movement's leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Thus, one of the articles of this document states that “silence” to a marriage proposal “to a virgin woman after reaching puberty may be considered consent to marriage.” At the same time, “silence of a young man or a previously married woman” is not considered automatic consent to the marriage.
The provisions also give parents and other relatives “broad powers regarding child marriages.” The document states that if a minor's marriage is concluded by “relatives other than the child's father or grandfather,” the marriage contract is also considered legally valid if “the spouses are considered socially compatible and the dowry is appropriate.”
The media clarifies that a girl can try to annul the marriage after reaching puberty, but only by court order.
The Taliban's rise to power
In May 2021, the US and its allies concluded the counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan, which began after the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, and began withdrawing troops from there.
In August 2021, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani handed over power to the Islamist Taliban movement, which was advancing on the country's capital, Kabul. After coming to power, the Taliban introduced a number of laws that, in particular, restrict women's rights.
Among other things, Afghan women and girls were banned from attending universities, traveling long distances on their own, working for NGOs, and attending gyms. They were also required to wear the hijab in public places.
In January 2025, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, requested arrest warrants for Taliban leaders for gender-based crimes in Afghanistan, including the persecution of girls and women since at least August 15, 2021.