31-Article regulation, title “Principles of separation between husband and wife,” According to Afghan outlet Amu TV, the resolution was approved by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and published in the regime’s official gazette in mid-May.The document outlines rules covering child marriage, missing husbands, forced separation, apostasy, accusations of adultery and other religious and legal matters.One of the most controversial provisions states that the silence of a “virgin girl” after reaching puberty can be interpreted as consent to marriage. The regulation states that the silence of a boy or an already married woman will not automatically count as consent.The decree also addresses “Khiyar al-Bulugh” or “option at puberty”, a concept in Islamic jurisprudence whereby a child married at an early age can seek an annulment after reaching puberty.According to Article 5 of the Regulation, if a relative other than a child’s father or grandfather arranges the marriage of a minor, the marriage may still be considered legally valid if the spouse is considered socially favorable and the dowry is reasonable. The child may later seek annulment, but only through a Taliban court order.Another provision states that marriages involving “non-compatible” spouses or unreasonable dowry will not be considered valid.This regulation gives fathers and grandfathers broad authority over child marriages, although it states that such marriages may be void if the guardians are found to be abusive, mentally unfit, or morally corrupt.The document authorizes Taliban judges to intervene in disputes involving allegations of adultery, religious conversion, prolonged absence of husbands and “zihar”, a classical Islamic concept in which a husband compares his wife to a female relative from whom marriage would be prohibited. Under those provisions, judges can order isolation, imprisonment or punishment in some cases.The latest decree comes amid growing international criticism of the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls since returning to power in August 2021.Girls in Afghanistan are barred from education beyond the sixth grade, women are banned from universities, and there are severe restrictions on employment, travel, and public participation.Several international organizations have described the Taliban’s policies as a system of “gender discrimination”. According to Girls Not Brides, about a third of Afghan girls are married before the age of 18.Political commentator Fahima Mahomed criticized the Taliban’s new rules, telling the New York Post, “Child marriage is not marriage in any meaningful sense. A child cannot appropriately consent, and treating silence as consent is dangerous because it completely eliminates a girl’s voice.”She added, “As a Muslim, I would also strongly reject the idea that this reflects Islam as a whole. The Quran itself speaks against the coercion and abuse of women, so the Taliban’s position should not be presented as ‘Islamic law’ in the broadest sense.”