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The new family law issued by the Taliban in Afghanistan sparked a wave of anger after reports said that the silence of a “virgin girl” could be considered consent to marriage.
News18
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has issued a new family law regulation that has drawn criticism online, particularly over a provision said to treat a “virgin girl’s” silence as consent to marriage. The new decree establishes rules regarding marriage, divorce, guardianship and separation under the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law.
According to Amo TV reports, the list was approved by Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and published in the Afghan Official Gazette. The decree includes 31 articles dealing with family affairs and legal disputes between spouses.
Rules about consent to marriage
One of the most controversial parts of the decree states that if a “virgin girl” remains silent during a marriage proposal, this silence can be considered consent to the marriage.
However, the same rule does not apply to children or women who have already been married. Their silence cannot be treated as approval.
The regulation is said to give parents and grandparents the authority to arrange the marriages of minors in certain cases.
Under the law, such a marriage can be considered valid if the groom is socially suitable and if the dowry is consistent with religious standards, according to reports. The decree includes the concept of “adulthood choice,” also known as “post-adulthood choice.”
Under this rule, a child married before reaching puberty can later request annulment of the marriage after puberty. However, the cancellation process still requires the approval of religious courts.
Giving judges broader authority
The new regulation also gives Taliban judges the powers to intervene in many family disputes. Under the decree, judges can handle cases related to allegations of adultery, religious conversion, long absences of spouses and “zihar,” a traditional Islamic concept in which a husband compares his wife to a female relative whom he cannot marry. In some cases, judges may order dismissal, punishment or imprisonment.
The law comes at a time when the Taliban government is still facing global criticism over the restrictions imposed on women and girls after its return to power in August 2021.
Girls in Afghanistan are prohibited from enrolling in school after the sixth grade. Women are also barred from enrolling in universities and face restrictions on work, travel and public participation.
Social media is reacting strongly
This news sparked sharp reactions online, with many users criticizing the decree and describing it as harmful to women and children.
“What kind of bullshit and sickness to think that these people should make a rule like this. Please God give these guys the harshest level of suffering. It’s literal hell!!!” A user wrote.
Another commented, “I know this is their culture but this is wrong, man. This is definitely against the morals and values of Americans.”
Another person wrote: “The Taliban’s new 31-article decree legalizes child marriage by allowing parents and grandparents to marry off girls, treating the child’s silence as consent. This is a flagrant violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and basic human dignity. Child marriage is not culture. It is abuse.”
Another comment said: “It’s so disgusting, they use children and women like sex toys.”
One user added: “It is tragic that these young girls are only seen as an economic burden and that marriage is their parents’ only option to get out of poverty.”
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