Afghanistan: Taliban's new law permits husbands to beat wives unless serious injury occurs

Taliban code legalises domestic violence against women

The Taliban has introduced a new penal code that critics say effectively “legalises” domestic violence against women.

According to a report by The Mirror, the 90-page code permits husbands to physically punish their wives and children, provided the abuse does not cause “broken bones or open wounds.”

Under the new laws, husbands can face a maximum of 15 days in prison for using “obscene force,” such as causing visible fractures or injuries. However, a conviction can only occur if the wife can successfully prove the abuse in court.

The Independent reports that women must demonstrate serious bodily harm by showing their wounds to a judge while remaining fully covered. They are also required to attend court with their husband or a male chaperone (mahram)—even though most perpetrators in these cases are the husbands themselves.

Additionally, married women could face up to three months in jail for visiting relatives without their husband’s explicit permission.

The Mirror notes that the language of the law effectively treats wives as the “property” or “slaves” of their husbands, stripping away crucial protections such as the 2009 law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW), introduced under the previous US-backed government.

Exiled Afghan human rights group Rawadari condemned the code, warning it would legitimise the “abuse, maltreatment, and punishment” of women and children, leaving them vulnerable to “continued domestic violence.”

The group has demanded an “immediate halt of the implementation of the criminal procedure code” by Taliban courts and called on the international community, the United Nations, and “other relevant international bodies” to “utilise all legal instruments” to prevent it coming into force.