Published on: 2026-06-01
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child condemned the de facto authorities of Afghanistan in connection withadoption of a new decree, which, according to experts, legalizes child marriages and interprets the silence of the girl as consent to enter into the marriage. The Committee called this step a serious violation of international human rights standards.
Experts reminded that any marriage in which one of the spouses has not reached the age of 18 is considered “child” marriage. According to a joint recommendationCommittee on Children’s RightsиCommittee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, such marriages are harmful practices and a form of forced marriage, since children by definition are incapable of giving full, free, and informed consent.
Increased risks
The speech is about Decree No. 18, adopted de facto by the “Taliban” authorities in 2026. The document singles out girls who have reached puberty and are married as a separate category, which, in the Committee’s opinion, actually legalizes the marriage of minors after reaching sexual maturity. Furthermore, the decree provides that the silence of a girl after the onset of puberty can be considered as consent to marriage.
“Sexual maturity cannot be considered a basis for recognizing a person as an adult or having the legal capacity to enter into marriage,” human rights activists emphasized, noting that this provision completely contradictsConventions on the Rights of the Child.
The Committee recalled that child marriages expose girls to an increased risk of violence, exploitation, early and forced pregnancy, deprive them of the opportunity to receive an education, and cause long-term damage to their physical and mental health.
“Any legal system that normalizes or facilitates the conclusion of marriages involving children violates their rights, undermines human dignity, and deprives them of independence and prospects for the future,” the experts stated.
Systematic discrimination
The committee, which consists of 18 independent experts on children’s rights, also expressed serious concern that this decree is part of a broader policy of discrimination against women and girls, including a ban on receiving secondary and higher education.
According to experts, these measures have already deprived millions of Afghan girls of their basic rights, limiting their current and future economic and social opportunities andcontributed to the deepening of poverty and inequality in the country.
The committee called on the de facto authorities of Afghanistan to immediately cancel all measures that violate the rights of children, unconditionally prohibit child marriages, and restore the rights of all girls to education, protection, equality, and full participation in public life in accordance with the country’s international obligations in the field of human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols.
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