Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s vice and virtue minister, at a gathering in the eastern province of Laghman reaffirmed their commitment to what he described as ensuring “Sharia rights” for women, even as the Taliban continue to impose severe restrictions that have stripped women and girls of basic freedoms, including access to education.
Speaking at a gathering in Laghman province on Monday, October 21, Hanafi emphasized the Taliban’s dedication to enforcing new laws that he claimed uphold women’s religious rights.
He urged local Taliban officials to eradicate “harmful cultural practices” and asserted that no one has the right to deny women their “Sharia rights” or force them into marriage. He referred to forced marriage as a tradition in which in some areas women are forced into marriage to settle a dispute in a local community.
Hanafi’s remarks come as the Taliban enforces increasingly stringent measures that sharply curtail citizens’ freedoms—particularly those of women. These regulations include bans on women’s voices and faces being seen in public spaces.
Meanwhile, reports of forced and early marriages are escalating across Afghanistan.
A new field study by Amu TV revealed that in the past two years, 24 witnesses in eight provinces reported 58 cases of forced marriages.
The study identified economic hardship, family pressure, and illiteracy, along with the Taliban’s ban on education for women and girls, as major factors driving these marriages.
