The authorities in Afghanistan, controlled by the Taliban movement, have abolished the minimum marriage age for girls. According to the new rules, men can marry girls after they reach puberty, which in several interpretations of Islamic law can occur as early as 9 years old, reports The Times.
According to the report, the ruling Islamist radical movement in Afghanistan has permitted men to marry girls upon their reaching puberty — which, according to the largest and oldest Sunni school of Islamic law, can occur as early as 9 years old. The corresponding document was approved by the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and published in the official bulletin.
Before the Taliban came to power, the legal age for marriage in Afghanistan was 16 years for girls and 18 years for boys. Girls under 16 could marry with the permission of their father or a judge. Marriages of girls under 15 were criminalized under the 2009 law on the elimination of violence against women.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations and the international community, which consider such measures a serious violation of the rights of children and women.
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