Taliban Announces Measures to Enhance Women's Rights: "Women Are Not Property"

On October 6th (local time), passport applicants crowded in front of the passport office in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, creating a chaotic scene. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Taliban, the ruling power in Afghanistan, recently announced new measures to enhance women's rights. This move is analyzed as a hurried response by the Taliban, who seek international recognition, following widespread criticism from international organizations over forced child marriages.

According to Tolo News and others on the 4th, Taliban supreme leader Akhundzada announced a special decree consisting of six articles to promote women's rights, stating the day before, "Women are not property." Akhundzada is the highest leader holding the positions of the Taliban's 'spiritual leader' and 'religious leader.'

According to the special decree, adult women must consent to marriage, and no one can force marriage upon them. It includes the statement that women are not property but noble and free human beings, and no one can transfer women to others. It also specifies that if a husband dies, no one can force remarriage, women themselves can choose whether to remarry, and they have the right to inherit the property of the deceased husband, among others.

Polygamists with multiple wives must grant rights to all women according to Islamic law (Sharia) and have the duty to maintain justice among them. The Taliban leadership, along with the announcement of the special decree, instructed religious leaders, clergy, and related organizations to take significant measures for women's rights.

This measure by the Taliban came amid situations such as a sharp increase in forced marriages of women after the Taliban regained power on August 15. Henrietta Fore, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) Executive Director, expressed concern in a statement on the 12th of last month, saying, "We have received reports that dowries were paid and even girls as young as 20 days old were subjected to forced marriages," adding, "The extremely severe economic hardship is pushing Afghan girls to marry at a very young age."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.