Taliban legalise child marriage for girls as young as nine

The Taliban de facto administration in Afghanistan has effectively codified and enforced deeply regressive legal frameworks that institutionalize severe restrictions on women's and girls' rights, including the systemic allowance of child marriage for minors as young as nine. This reinforcement of patriarchal norms extends to a legal environment where interpretations of Sharia Law are used to permit marital rape and prevent women from divorcing abusive husbands, fundamentally stripping them of autonomy and bodily integrity. Since their August 2021 takeover, the Taliban have consistently eroded women's access to education, public life, and employment, transforming Afghanistan into a de facto Gender Apartheid state. This systematic subjugation is not merely a cultural practice but a direct consequence of a collapsed economy and a profound Humanitarian Crisis, exacerbated by International Sanctions and a precipitous withdrawal of foreign aid. Economic desperation fuels Poverty-driven child marriage, where vulnerable families, facing destitution, are forced to marry off young daughters for bride prices or sustenance, perpetuating intergenerational cycles of poverty, violence, and lack of education. The global community's challenge is navigating how to deliver critical aid without legitimizing a regime that actively engages in severe human rights violations, highlighting the complex interplay between geopolitics, human rights, and the devastating societal impact of authoritarian governance. The long-term implications for Afghanistan's human capital development and its stability are dire.