NEW YORK CITY: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued one of its strongest condemnations yet of Taliban policies toward girls in Afghanistan, warning that a newly adopted decree effectively legalizes child marriage and violates numerous international human rights obligations.
At the center of the controversy is Taliban Decree No. 18, adopted in May and formally titled “Principles of Separation Between Spouses.” The decree removes Afghanistan’s previous fixed minimum marriage age for girls and instead ties marital eligibility to puberty.
The decree, approved by the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, further states that a girl’s silence after reaching puberty can be interpreted as legal consent to marriage.
Afghan women and girls have endured sweeping restrictions since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. (Getty Images)
For Sophie Kiladze, chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the implications are clear.
