Taliban law legalizes violence against women, girls in Afghanistan

These provisions institutionalize a system in which women are treated as dependents rather than rights-holders, subjected to legalized violence, restricted movement, and religious coercion. The law transforms private abuse into state-sanctioned punishment and embeds misogyny and patriarchy into Afghanistan’s legal structure.

The regulation stands in direct conflict with international human rights law, including prohibitions against torture, slavery, and gender discrimination, as well as Afghanistan’s obligations under global treaties. It also contradicts foundational Islamic principles of justice, equality, and human dignity by replacing lawful process with private violence and class-based punishment.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has systematically erased women from public life, banning girls’ education beyond primary school, restricting women’s employment, and enforcing morality laws that police women’s appearance, movement, and voices. This new regulation represents a further escalation, codifying gender-based persecution into law.

Human rights advocates warn that normalizing such violence will have long-term consequences for Afghan society. Women and girls face a future defined by fear, dependence, and sanctioned abuse, while children grow up in a system where violence and inequality are taught as law.

The regulation marks a decisive step backward from human rights and legal accountability, reinforcing a worldview that treats women as less than men and legitimizes harm as governance.

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