HRW: Taliban Rules Severely Restrict Women’s Right to Divorce

DID Press: Human Rights Watch has warned that a newly issued Taliban regulation on marital separation significantly curtails women’s legal ability to seek divorce in Afghanistan.

The organization’s women’s rights director, Heather Barr, described the new framework as “deeply concerning,” stating on social media platform X that the rules prevent women from initiating divorce even in cases involving spousal disappearance, abandonment, or domestic abuse.

According to critics, the regulation represents a further tightening of legal constraints on women’s autonomy and decision-making within marriage, sparking widespread reaction from human rights advocates and social media users.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice confirmed that the decree, approved by the group’s leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, has entered into force and consists of 31 articles governing marital separation procedures.

Under the new provisions, a woman’s ability to obtain separation is reportedly subject to judicial approval, spousal consent, or oath-based procedures, raising concerns among rights organizations about increased institutional barriers for women seeking protection or legal relief.