Afghanistan - June 2026

A Taliban decree published in May 2026 ‘Code on Judicial Separation of Spouses’ has been decried by international rights organizations as significantly eroding the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. The decree sets out rules governing marital separation, preserves marriages arranged during childhood and creates substantial barriers for women seeking to leave abusive or unwanted unions. In January 2026, another Taliban decree set out a new criminal procedure law expanding restrictions on women’s rights and access to justice in Afghanistan. Both decrees set down in law what were primarily de facto restrictive practices under the Taliban. The code grants men extensive authority over marriage decisions, and imposes burdensome procedural requirements on women seeking separation. The decrees entrench gender-based discrimination, facilitate child and forced marriage, and further limit women’s access to justice in an already heavily restricted environment. 

Sources: United Nations, Amnesty International Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Rawadari