The Taliban regime in Afghanistan allowed the marriage of girls from the age of 10

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has once again come under international scrutiny after allowing the marriage of girls from the age of 10, as part of a new regulation that reinforces restrictions on women and redefines the concept of childhood within the country.

The reprehensible measure is part of a new family code promoted by the Islamic authorities, which came into effect last month and removes existing safeguards regarding the minimum age for marriage.

According to reports, the legislation further restricts women's access to divorce, consolidating a legal framework that severely limits their freedom.

This change represents a significant advance in the control over the private lives of Afghan women. Zahra Nader, editor-in-chief of Zan Times, noted that the law “attempts to regulate family life” and assured that a girl married under this new framework “has no way to escape” that marriage.

Another central modification introduced by the Taliban regime is the legal redefinition of childhood. According to Shahrzad Akbar, founder of the organization Rawadari, the new framework considers a child to be only someone under nine years old. This means that a girl aged ten, twelve, or thirteen who has been married is no longer considered a child under current legislation.

Akbar warned that this provision represents a direct setback from the child protection law enacted in 2019 by the previous Afghan government, which established 18 years as the legal minimum age for marriage.

The implementation of this norm occurs alongside a widespread tightening of policies towards women in Afghanistan. Currently, girls are prohibited from accessing secondary education, while women face increasing limitations on working and freely moving within the country.

The consequences of these restrictions are already reflected in educational indicators. According to UNICEF estimates, more than one million Afghan girls have been excluded from the secondary education system since 2021. If current conditions persist, that number could exceed two million by the year 2030.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned about the structural impact of these measures and stated: “Afghanistan cannot afford to lose future teachers, nurses, doctors, midwives, and social workers who support essential services.”

With this reprehensible measure, Afghan women face increasingly profound restrictions in multiple areas of their lives, consolidating an Islamic model that limits both their individual rights and their opportunities for development.