Overview

• The wedding took place June 28 in Helmand’s Marjah district under the walwar tradition, in which the groom pays a bride price based on a girl’s perceived value.
• Taliban local authorities intervened after images went viral, detaining the girl’s father and the groom but stopping short of filing criminal charges.
• Under Taliban rule Afghanistan lacks a codified minimum marriage age, leaving unions to Hanafi interpretations that equate puberty with marriage eligibility.
• A UN Women report links the regime’s bans on female education and employment to a 25 percent rise in child marriages and a 45 percent increase in early childbearing.
• The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders on charges of crimes against humanity for their persecution of women and girls.